Early diagnosis is essential for curing breast cancer, says expert

Breast cancer is the most common type among women after skin cancer – there are about 60,000 cases a year.

Throughout the month, the Pink October campaign seeks to draw attention to the importance of seeing a doctor and carrying out preventive exams.

In an interview with CNN Radio the physician and coordinator of the Radiology Institute of the Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo Heloisa Carvalho highlighted that the initiative is very positive.

“Pink October exists due to the high incidence of this tumor and, when we diagnose the disease in early stages, we get a cure in most cases”, he said.

Precisely for this reason, the expert says that the incentive to seek medical care is necessary.

“In general, health services recommend screening from age 40 onwards, once every 2 years,” he said.

However, if there are close cases in the family, such as mother, aunt and sister, this is an additional risk factor, and follow-up is necessary from the age of 20.

The doctor recalled that there is a lot of stigma about cancer, but that it is a curable disease, “especially breast cancer, with a cure in more than 90% of cases identified early.”

“It is important not to be afraid, to face the situation, we have resources and effective treatments. Even without a complete cure, it can become a chronic disease, like hypertension and diabetes, in which the person lives normally, taking care of the disease.”

The specialist reinforces that the practice of physical activity and maintaining the ideal weight are factors that reduce the risk, although not totally, of the incidence of breast cancer.

*With production by Isabel Campos