The First Visit is at Home
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Breasts are a special part for women, because they are not only for pleasant purposes between couples: they are also our necessary equipment so that, after intercourse, nutrition, development, and good health of the newborn child are guaranteed, or what’s the same, the birth and evolution of our species.
However, breast cancer is a phenomenon that increasingly affects the world's female population. Self-examination is as important as the quick attendance to the doctor when an abnormality appears. According to the World Health Organization, among all cancers, breast cancer represents 16%, with an increasing tendency.
Studies have revealed that one out of eight women will have breast cancer, and that when the patient already feels a lump or changes in color, touch, and size in the breast; lymphatic gland increase; pain or secretions through the nipple, the cancer may already be advanced. Because of misinformation, many women fail to recognize the problem in time.
Hence, through campaigns, television programs, and the treatment of this issue at all times, each symptom must be taken into account and observed: weight loss, arm swelling, reddening in the area surrounding the nipple areola, if the breast is suffering from peeling or effects similar to mastitis, a painful infection of the breast tissue is present.
The pink ribbon is the symbol internationally used to represent this day as the World Breast Cancer Day, and raise awareness with communication strategies so that women know more about the disease and can act in time and safely if any doubt. This program, along others has been at a disadvantage because of COVID-19.
It’s also true, not even a specific case, that the consultations of varied medical specialties have had to give up their space and priority to respiratory problems, on the latent possibility that the patient may be infected with the new coronavirus, but this doesn’t mean that the breast cancer is gone.
In fact, breast cancer is not just a problem for women - men can also suffer it. According to information from the health website Infomed, "some identified risk factors are advanced age, exposure to estrogen, a family history of this cancer, obesity, liver disease and testicular surgery."
According to Dr. María Caridad Rubio Hernández, head of the National Program for the Control of Breast Cancer of Minsap, in a Granma newspaper article, “population studies show that, compared to the world, Cuba has a high survival rate in relation to this disease. Early diagnosed patients make up 75%, while 25% arrive in an advanced stage.
Rubio Hernández stressed that a lot remains to be done to educate our population regarding prevention. She warned about how the accelerated aging of the population can influence the incidence of the disease and detailed that, despite the fact that figures have grown in terms of the number of cases, there’s evidence of a plateau in mortality, with a tendency to decrease.
The Cuban health system, despite the many problems it faces, has a specialized personnel, with quality and homogeneous staff throughout the nation. Women have access to a program that engages this type of breast consultation both in local places, as in the province or at the Institute level.
On the psychological side, to support patients emotionally and allow them to cope and overcome the moment in a positive way, the initiative Alas por la Vida, which, according to Dr. María Caridad, «proposes new alternatives in the handling of woman with breast cancer, by supporting them, their family and society in general.
It’s expected for 2030 that more than 52,000 people in Cuba have breast cancer, the second cause of death in the island, which resulted in 44,452 diagnosed in 2018 and, 24,902 deaths in this total.
Monthly breast self-examination in front of a mirror to appreciate changes is the best alternative to identify a nodule and be treated in time.
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