Making breast cancer visible

Why a pink ribbon? The World Health Organization’s (WHO) initiative to commemorate breast cancer in 1988 has continued to gain momentum in recent years, so it is now commonplace to dye October 19 pink: monuments are hung with giant pink Colored ribbons or when night falls, pink ribbons light up pink in the streets, at work, on TV, on social networks… But how did the pink ribbon become a global symbol in the fight against this disease?

Apparently, the Susan G. Komen Foundation was the first foundation to hand out pink ribbons to participants in a breast cancer-related contest in New York in 1991, although the meaning of the pink ribbons is no longer alive .

Meanwhile, American woman Charlotte Haley, who has several family members affected by breast cancer, started making peach blossom bows at home, along with a card urging the National Cancer Institute to require breast cancer screening. Invest more in cancer prevention.

However, it was Evelyn Lauder, vice president of cosmetics company Estée Lauder, who beat breast cancer, and Alexandra Penney, editor-in-chief of Self magazine, who linked pink to breast cancer .

Previously, they contacted Charlotte Haley about using her peach ribbons for a breast cancer awareness campaign supported by the Estee Lauder brand, but Haley thought the project was too commercial and did not want to participate. They change color because of the rejection.

In 1992, The Estée Lauder Companies distributed approximately 1.5 million of these ribbons in its stores and created the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Since then, the pink ribbon has become a symbol of the fight against the disease.

One in eight women.

Breast cancer is the most common tumor in women, although it also has one of the best prognosis.

It originates in breast tissue and is mostly diagnosed in women between the ages of 45 and 65. In men, this condition is rare but can occur.

The risk of developing the disease is estimated to be 12%, meaning one in eight women will develop it in her lifetime.

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, there were 2.3 million confirmed cases and 685,000 deaths worldwide in 2020. Most of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, with many cases diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Breast cancer cases are increasing every year (because we live longer and due to early detection), and survival rates are increasing due to more precise treatments.

Diagnose as soon as possible.

Diagnosing cancer at its earliest stages is therefore crucial to achieving good treatment outcomes, which highlights new technologies such as liquid blood biopsy, which can detect the presence of tumor cells in a blood sample and help start treatment before cancer develops. The disease has any type of clinical manifestations.

Researchers at the Valley Institute of Oncology in Hebron (VHIO) are studying the promising option of milk liquid biopsy. The team announced its findings last September, demonstrating that breast milk contains DNA from breast tumors, opening the door to using breast milk analysis to diagnose breast cancer early in the postpartum period.

There are other screening systems that have been in place for many years to help detect breast cancer early, such as mammography and breast ultrasound. Women are also advised to perform self-examinations.

All this is aimed at identifying the disease in its initial stages and being able to stop it. Statistics show that women diagnosed with breast cancer early have a greater than 95% chance of survival after five years, while patients in the metastatic stage have a lower chance of survival.

Treating cancer and women.

Treatment for breast cancer often involves a combination of surgical removal, radiation therapy, and medications, a process that can leave a woman in a physically, psychologically, or financially disadvantaged position (those affected must bear the costs associated with breast cancer) when she getting sick when you can’t keep the same pace in your work life).

Most women with breast cancer experience feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, fear, or depression, and these problems are exacerbated in women who have had a mastectomy (mastectomy).

Currently, it is recommended to use conservative surgery whenever possible and, if mastectomy is required, include breast reconstruction during the same surgical procedure.

Progress is also being made through a multidisciplinary approach that includes aspects such as specific physical exercise, adequate diet, and psychological support to promote treatment not only of tumors but of the whole person.

Teresa Sanchez-Bermejo.
EFE report