During the meeting, the experts present focused on three main issues: research in this area, innovation and, at the same time, equity in access to treatments and diagnostic methods.
And it is that, despite the fact that little by little advances are being made in the levels of survival of breast cancer, as was clearly shown during the meeting, every 30 seconds a woman in the world is diagnosed with this type of tumor, which is already considered the most frequent tumor, and, in the specific case of Spain, it is estimated that each month it causes the death of more than 500 people. Data that by itself “reveals the dimensionality of this problem” stated Julio Sánchez Fierro, Lawyer and doctor of Health Sciences. Furthermore, we cannot forget that around 1% of those diagnosed with breast cancer are men.
In this sense, in order to improve the situation, the doctor highlights the importance of Public Health to “ensure prevention and early detection, emphasize an agile and rapid care process, time is of the essence, the use of effective therapies and support for women from the point of view of care and rehabilitation” These, as he added, “are the basic contents of the comprehensive approach proposed by the WHO for dealing with breast cancer”.
Now, in this line, the experts have set another key objective, “the need to guarantee that patients are cared for in multidisciplinary committees that help increase survival” as the head of the Medical Oncology Service of the General University Hospital has pointed out from Elche (Alicante) and GEICAM researcher, Alvaro Rodriguez Lescure.
The researcher also wanted to give a warning to society and professionals, reminding that there are still many serious cases, so it is necessary to improve the approach to metastatic disease and raise awareness that breast cancer “is still far from being chronic ».
Innovation and fairness
The highlight during the meeting was the need to improve, especially innovation. Paula González Peña, representative of FECMA, the Spanish Federation of Breast Cancer, and a survivor of this disease, has placed special emphasis on this point. “If it weren’t for treatments, innovation and early diagnosis, I wouldn’t be able to be here today accompanying you” he assured and for this reason, he wanted to convey that innovation, as a result of research, represents “an opportunity” for women who day by day they face a reality marked by breast cancer.
In this way, the representative of FECMA has reiterated that innovation increases the survival and quality of life of patients. «» We believe that there should be a State pact so that access to innovation is equal throughout the National Health System », she emphasized.
Along the same lines, the head of the Hospital Pharmacy service at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid, Jose Manuel Rodriguez Sesmero has assured that the innovation that is taking place in recent years in new treatments is being “formidable”. “Survival in breast cancer is improving and significant progress is being made, so the future has elements for hope” to which he added the need to continue guaranteeing equity, “it continues to be a crucial issue, because if there are therapies but they are not made available to patients is a frustration that has no qualifications when people’s lives are at risk”.
Isabel Pineros, director of the access department of Farmaindustria, has spoken in this regard and has put on the table the annual report Indicators of access to innovative therapies in Europe (WAIT Indicator), prepared by the Iqvia consultancy for the European Federation of Associations of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Efpia), which points out that Spanish patients only have access to just over half of the medicines authorized in Europe in the last four years and take more than 500 days to do so.
In short, all the experts who have participated in this act have advocated for a hopeful future, but for this they highlight the need for a budget dedicated to research and to improving our country’s strategy in this frequent and worrying pathology. «We can build all the castles we want, «But what is needed here is a budget» concluded Dr. Ferreiro.
We will keep reporting…
–
