Curitiba – Even without the 2020 figures calculated by most Brazilian municipalities, estimates indicate that the number of mammograms performed by the Uniform Health System (SUS) decreased by almost 50% last year compared to 2019. Data from the private network support this trend.
Today, mammography is the main screening test for breast cancer, a disease responsible for many deaths in Brazil. The National Cancer Institute (Inca) estimates that 66,000 women have contracted the disease in the country in 2020.
Mammography is the main screening test for breast cancer (Image: Disclosure / Envato)
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Gynecologist Renata Hayashi cautions that delay in regular evaluations can lead to a later diagnosis of breast cancer. The doctor explained that “when women stop consulting and preventive tests, the chances of an early diagnosis and survival decrease, because when the disease is discovered at the beginning, the disease has more possibilities of treatment.”
Like mammography, other preventive tests and evaluations have declined since the start of the epidemic. Fearing infection with the new coronavirus, many people have stopped going to medical appointments. “If the patient had a recent visit, was young, and maintained a healthy lifestyle during this period, then it’s okay to wait a little longer. But if you stop being physically active, you’re not eating as you should, and you already have health problems or a family history, it is possible that waiting is an unnecessary risk, “said Allen Morais, a troubled cardiologist.
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