Sport is a great ally in the prevention of breast cancer. Therefore, on the occasion of World Day, which takes place this October 19, Quirónsalud Zaragoza wants raise awareness about the importance of physical exercise against this disease. Likewise, the center remembers that periodic check-ups are essential to achieve early detection. In 2023, around 35,300 new cases in Spain, which accounts for almost 30% of tumors diagnosed in womenaccording to the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC).
“Scientific studies demonstrate the “benefits of physical activity in reducing the risk of suffering from a tumor,” points out Dr. Elena Aguirre, director of the Quirónsalud Zaragoza Cancer Institute. “Regarding breast cancer,” he adds, “we know that This decrease is between 20 and 25%.”
What type of activity is advisable?
For this reason, the specialist recommends a series of guidelines that can help reduce the risk of breast cancer. “Clinical guidelines, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), recommend a type of exercise combined with 150 minutes per week of cardiovascular activity, such as walking, running or swimming, and two strength training sessions a week of about 30 minutes each”. At the same time, it is advisable to follow a mediterranean diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, limiting fats and avoiding alcohol.
However, there are variables that are not preventable, such as family history, age or sex, among others. For example, women are more likely than men to get breast cancer.
During and after cancer
During the process, diagnosed patients also find exercise a great traveling companion to mitigate side effects. “One of the main problems is the astheniaan intense fatigue that affects the majority of women undergoing cancer treatments,” explains the doctor. In this sense, Sport helps combat this exhaustion, improving your quality of life and becoming an essential element for your physical and emotional well-being.
“On the other hand,” he adds, “over the course of the disease, physical activity has also demonstrated its effectiveness in prehabilitation, that is, the time that passes from the time it is diagnosed until the surgical maneuver is performed.”
After treatment, the specialist advises resuming sports practice as soon as possible, unless there is a medical problem, since it reduces the risk of relapse of the disease and death.
Specialized care for early detection
In recent years, there are two factors that explain the increase in survival in patients with breast cancer, according to the doctor. “On the one hand, the improvement of systemic treatments, which reduces the possibility of recurrence. And, on the other hand, the impact of early detection, since it allows the disease to be diagnosed at an early stage, which increases the chances of cure and makes it easier to carry out less invasive therapies,” he points out.
Quirónsalud has a large team of experts in which the multidisciplinary work is essential. Each step is coordinated and optimized together to offer the patient comprehensive and individualized care under continuous support always focused on their well-being and care.
For this, they are essential ‘tumor committees’: periodic meetings in which both the members of the different multidisciplinary units and those of the support areas or the different hospital services participate. In these meetings, the approach to each case is proposed, putting all available resources at the service of the patient from the different approaches of each specialty and taking into account their particular situation and needs.
Together with the use of state-of-the-art equipment, this work pattern allows for greater precision in the diagnosis and the choice of the most appropriate treatment. Likewise, the hospital center has radiologists specialized in breast, which increases the effectiveness of these techniques and provides the best results.
The doctor explains it to us, through the following videos:
