- It is currently estimated that one in 12 women in the world will develop this tumor at some point in her life.
- When breast cancer is detected in its early stages, the probability of cure is greater than 90%.
- October 19 marks the World Day Against Breast Cancer, although actions are carried out throughout the month to raise awareness about this disease.
The arrival of October marks the beginning of a very important date related to health. Its about Breast Cancer Prevention Month and one of the main objectives is to promote timely detection of the disease. The sooner a diagnosis is made, the more likely it is to be cured.
A serious global public health problem
Just to put it into perspective, the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that During 2020, 2.2 million new cases of this type of tumor were reported. With this, it is one of the most frequent because it is estimated that one in 12 women will develop it at some point in their lives.
But in addition to cases it is also a deadly disease. Also during 2020, 685 thousand deaths occurred due to this neoplasm. While each year the figure increases and that is why it is important to increase preventive measures to reverse the situation.
In this regard, the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), through PrevenIMSS, announced a reinforcement of the actions to achieve a timely detection of breast cancer.
In this sense, Dr. Roxana Katia Avelino Solís, Coordinator of Medical Programs of the Disease Prevention and Detection Division, added that there are three basic tests that all women should receive.
- Breast self-examination should be done every month starting at age 20.
- The annual clinical examination that is carried out in the Family Medicine Units (FMU) and is recommended from the age of 25.
- Professional mammography and should be performed every two years, from 40 to 69 years.
Recommendations for each of the tests
Regarding breast self-examination, she explained that it should be done seven days after menstruation. In the case of women who no longer menstruate, a fixed day of the month should be done.
She added that the second detection mechanism is the clinical breast examination, which is carried out by trained medical or nursing personnel, where women must go to their UMF with their National Health Card to the PrevenIMSS module and request that their check-up be carried out. , whose actions include breast cancer detection and clinical examination.
In the framework of the month of breast cancer awarenessthe Social Security specialist indicated that the third strategy is an X-ray study of the breasts called mammography. With this test it is possible to identify tumors that cannot be detected on clinical examination.
October I Month of Awareness about the #BreastCancer #Noticed 🧐 #touch 🖐🏼 #I feel 🤲🏼
If detected early, breast cancer can be treated effectively.#AgainstBreastCancerIAct #ForLoveLife #Touch yourself pic.twitter.com/sndRFPx9ap
– HEALTH Mexico (@SSalud_mx) October 1, 2022
Similarly, he indicated that once the cancer is detected, the doctor does a series of studies that complement his diagnosis to establish a specific treatment for each patient. Not all cancers are the same because they are not always detected at the same stages and therefore cannot be treated in the same way.
“Women have to be evaluated from their risk factors, because they increase the chances of having breast cancer: aging (the older, the higher the risk), personal or family history of breast cancer in mother, daughters or sisters, history of findings of cancer precursor lesions, menstrual life of more than 40 years (onset of menstruation before age 12 and menopause after age 52), being a known carrier of mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, even not having had a screening mammogram is a high risk factor.”
Keys to avoid breast cancer
Dr. Roxana Avelino explained that the factors that decrease or protect against the risk of breast cancer They are: exercise regularly 30 minutes a day, have a high-fiber diet that includes vegetables, fruits, cereals; not having tobacco or alcoholism, having a baby and nursing it for a long time, and one of the most important is to have a mammogram every two years from the age of 40 and up to the age of 69 mainly.
He commented that unfortunately when the diagnosis is already in an advanced stage, survival decreases because it is more likely that an important complication will occur. Likewise, she said that more than one million screening mammograms were performed and morbidity rates are around 24 per 100,000 eligible women between 25 and older in women.
Avelino Solís recalled that the IMSS has various activities for the prevention of breast cancer, through health fairs, permanent campaigns where every day of the year the beneficiary can attend her UMF to have the detection done, only you have to carry your National Health Card.
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