©Pierre Perusseau
Évelyne Dhéliat is in remission from breast cancer detected in 2012, which kept her away from the TF1 weather forecast for many months. She encourages every woman to get tested regularly.
58,500 women: This is the number of French women affected per year, with more than 12,000 deaths. It is the 1st type of cancer in the world: 11.7% of new cases according to the UN.
Meeting with Frédéric de Bels, Head of the prevention department at the National Cancer Institute (INCa).
France Dimanche: For almost twenty years, our country has organized free breast screenings for women. Does it work ?
Frederic de Bels : It should be remembered that detecting breast cancer early means less burdensome treatment and a better chance of recovery. This early detection allows 99 out of 100 women to be still alive five years following diagnosis, whereas only 26 out of 100 are when the disease is detected at an advanced stage… After screening, doctors preserve the breast, and there is also less chemotherapy. Today, 1 in 2 women have their mammogram as part of organized screening following being encouraged to do so by mail, to which must be added 15% of those who do it outside the programme, in conjunction with their doctor. This corresponds to more than 3 million women. There are still 2 million to convince to take the exam…
FD: What are the obstacles to this screening?
FdeB : Fear of the result or consequences of the examination. Some immediately imagine the worst: ablation! Others perceive less interest in early detection, because they know that this cancer can be treated well. Without being alarmist, it should be noted that it still causes more than 12,000 deaths per year.
FD: How do you get women to get tested?
FdeB : This requires better information on the benefits and limitations of screening, so that each woman can make the right decision. There is also sometimes an access problem. There is also in Normandy an experiment with a mobile truck equipped with a mammograph to offer this screening to those who do not have easy access to care.
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It is essential to monitor changes in your breast carefully because the earlier it is detected, the higher the chances of recovery from breast cancer.
Thus, any new lump, in the breast or in the armpit, discovered by self-examination, any change in the shape or size of the breasts, any discharge from the nipple or any noticeable change in the appearance of the skin must be reported to your doctor. You should also remember to have a health professional perform a clinical examination (palpation) every year from the age of 25 and throughout your life.
Certain factors can increase the risk of breast cancer. It’s regarding :
- tobacco and alcohol
- overweight
- from puberty to early age or late menopause.
Age, a factor that matters
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Note: 8 out of 10 breast cancers develop in women over 50. Rare in people under 35, the disease is exceptional in people under 20.
heredity
If there are genetic risks for breast cancer, only 5 to 10% of these are associated with the hereditary transmission of a genetic mutation.
The three diagnostic techniques
Medical imaging is an asset for effectively detecting breast cancer. Today there are three major radiological means:
- Mammography, which consists of taking a series of simple x-rays on the breast.
- Breast ultrasound, which provides additional information to that obtained by mammography, in order to help the doctor know whether to perform a biopsy or not.
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), which is reserved for specific situations, such as monitoring women at proven genetic risk.
Effective treatments
Most breast cancers are treated by surgery (a tumor of less than 3 cm will be treated by simply removing it), depending on several criteria: age of the patient, stage of the tumor, location, size… Only cancer that has developed metastases (tumors formed from cancerous cells) requires more serious treatment: chemotherapy, radiotherapy (“rays”), hormone therapy… The majority of tumors are not necessarily malignant, but all require treatment in charge.
Again, and always: walking!
The regular practice of a sports activity, adapted to each case, is an important element in order to reduce the risk of relapse and, above all, to improve the psychological state of the person. Walking 30 minutes a day, for example, is a good precept…
Breast reconstruction
Surgery on the breast is often felt as a mutilation by women, even if, today, reconstructive surgery can restore the aesthetics of the breast. A reconstruction can also be an opportunity to accept a body that has become different. The Institut Curie website and web-documentary entitled Guérir le regard (www.guerirleregard.fr) help to make a better choice. In any case, you must be aware that breast reconstruction always takes place in several stages and that it can sometimes take a year to be satisfactory.
Also note: the sensitivity of the nipple will not be found, and any prostheses, which do not have an infinite lifespan, will have to be changed every ten years on average. The costs of this intervention are partially covered by health insurance.
Last crucial point: breast reconstruction has no impact on cancer. That is to say, it does not compromise the chances of recovery, but it does not favor a possible relapse either.
And the men?
Breast cancer also exists in men, but to a lesser extent since it concerns between 0.5% and 1% of male cancers.
And the recurrence?
Between 15% and 20% of women treated for breast cancer will develop one on the other breast… Which represents nearly 20,000 cases per year, according to the Curie Institute. If you have been affected, you absolutely must comply with rigorous medical monitoring.
Did you know ? Vitamin D deficiency would promote breast cancer. According to the results of a study conducted in Saudi Arabia, in this country where the draconian application of Islamic law prohibits women from uncovering their skin, the number of those who are affected by this disease is very important. However, we now know that exposure to the sun is the main way for the body to produce vitamin D! The study shows that deficient women had the fatal form of breast cancer three times more often than those who did not suffer from this deficiency…
RIBBON ROSE, the association
Founded in 1994, the Pink Ribbon association aims to set up an annual awareness and information campaign around the fight once morest breast cancer and to collect donations to support research through the Ribbon prizes. roses awarded in October.
For more information : www.cancerdusein.org
To read
Fucking cancer, by Fleur Hana (ed. Eyrolles). The quirky and politically incorrect story of a warrior!
The Pink Mountainss, by Rose (ed. Eyrolles). In this diary, the singer Rose reveals her cancer and the horrors of hormone therapy.
Alicia COMET
