Within the framework of the campaign “The privilege of being a woman”, the Public Health operational directorate of the District Administrative Department of Health (Dadis) reported that cases of breast cancer in the city increased last year, compared to the two previous years.
“Unfortunately, we have to report that breast cancer diagnoses have increased in the city. However, 80% of cases are curable if detected early. It is not necessary for a health entity to detect it, but each person can do a self-examination and determine if they have a foreign body in their breast,” said Ana Margarita Sánchez, director of Public Health. (Read: Trials of the first vaccine against breast cancer begin)
The Dadis recommended that it is essential that eight days after menstruation the self-examination is carried out. “We -women- know our body and we can easily notice if we have a mass, a lump or if the nipple is reversed. These are key symptoms that should alert us,” Sánchez continued. (You may also be interested in: Video: She is 30 years old and struggling to overcome breast cancer)
According to Dadis, cases of breast cancer increased last year. “For 2021, compared to 2019, an increase of 101% of cases was observed, while compared to 2020, an increase of 84% was observed. The incidence rate in epidemiological period 11 is 68 per 100,000 women over 18 years of age,” the entity reported.
“We are the ones who know which of the breasts is the largest. We can say that the pandemic influenced diagnoses because it helped us get to know our body and alert us to any anomaly. For example, we can say that in 2019 134 cases were identified, but in 2021 there were 199. (…) We were doing late detection, now we have improved in diagnosis, treatment, start of treatment, among others”, he indicated for his part Claudia Patricia Velázquez, doctor and leader of the Dadis sexuality and sexual rights dimension.
The direction of Public Health reported that the age group with the highest proportion for this type of cancer is between 61 and 65 years, followed by the five-year period from 41 to 45 years.
risk factors
Sánchez said that being a woman is a risk factor for breast cancer. He clarified that this disease can also occur in men: “Other factors are advanced age, obesity, not having become pregnant, having their first baby after the age of 30, having had their first menstruation before the age of 12, among others” , he pointed out.
“There are some vital processes that are easy to make a diagnosis. They should look at the retraction of the nipple, if there is discharge of secretions, etc. From that moment it is important to issue an alarm signal so that there is timely treatment. This type of cancer is less common in girls who have not menstruated,” added Shirley Fernández, a Dadis nurse.
“In general, the largest number of cases were identified in women between 41 and 65 years of age, with extreme five-year-olds being the most affected. Regarding the regimen, we found that 47% of the cases belong to the contributory regimen and 45% to the subsidized one”, expressed the director of Public Health.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, which is equivalent to 71% of deaths in the world.
Types of NCDs
The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and strokes), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma), and diabetes.