Córdoba, Ver.- A few days before the month of October, also known as the “Pink Month” To commemorate the fight against breast cancer, public health doctor Lino Alfredo Marañón Reyes says that this disease, which It is one of the main causes of death in Mexican women. a year, prevention is done every day.
He assures that, according to clinical studies, early detection increases the chances of survival in patients, hence the importance of From the age of 20, women should perform breast self-examination in order to detect any anomaly or irregularity and, if any, address it immediately.
“It is important that women, once a month, choose a day when their menstrual cycle has passed, to do a physical examination of their breasts and armpits, looking for lumps in the skin, and to check if the armpits have any lesions or the so-called orange peel skin, or to check if there is any alteration when looking in the mirror,” she says.
Need that Previously, this type of self-exploratory practice was recommended for women aged 40 and older.however, Now the recommendation includes women from 20 years of age, Unfortunately, there have been cases of breast cancer in young women with a family history of this condition.
Explains that In recent years there has been an increase in cases of breast canceralthough this does not mean that more women develop this disease, but rather that Every day there are more women who detect it in time, which has allowed us to reduce mortality rates in patients.
Prevention increases in rural areas
In this regard, the nurse Cecilia Serrano Sobalbreast cancer survivorexplains that a timely detection allowed her to be one of the survivors of this disease; however, we must continue working to strengthen the culture of prevention, not only during the month of October, but throughout the year.
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“The best tool is the hands, because by palpating with the appropriate technique, all women can detect lumps, changes in color and turgor of the skin of the breast, discharge or secretion from the nipples” explains the interviewee,
Cecilia acknowledges that fortunately, in recent years, The practice of prevention and self-examination has been promoted in rural areaswhere breast cancer was often detected when it was already advanced and patient mortality was very high, which is an example of that awareness campaigns have worked.
“Fortunately, women, even from very remote locations, have a greater sense of responsibility in caring for their health and come to undergo breast examinations and screenings, although there are also cases of women who arrive with breast cancer in a very advanced stage and unfortunately die,” she says.
Both health specialists agree that The best way to reduce deaths from breast cancer is early detection, which is why they insist that this practice should become a custom not only for the month of October, but for all 12 months of the year.
