ONE MILLION women are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide per year. In the European Union alone, a new diagnosis is made every 2.5 minutes and a woman dies from the disease every six.
In Cyprus, 300 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. But, unlike other European countries, there are no records of how many women relapse or die, said Stella Kyriakides, President of Europa Donna Cyprus and the European Breast Cancer Coalition.
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail yesterday, Kyriakides explained that it was important to start recording the number of deaths – as well as diagnoses – so we can better assess our services and determine how effective national prevention and treatment methods were.
Last year the government implemented a blind screening breast cancer programme under which all women aged 50-69 were made eligible for free mammograms, irrespective of whether they were suspected of having breast cancer. This was a huge victory for Europa Donna, which had advocated the programme for years.
Although all women over 50 are given free mammograms, Kyriakides said a woman’s baseline for having her first mammogram should be 40. This is because more and more younger women are developing the disease and the earlier it is detected the more effectively it can be treated. Breast cancer is also more aggressive when it appears in younger women.
This year the breast cancer forum has plans to further increase awareness on the disease.
“We are going to drive home the message for the need to have the right kind of surgery,” she said. “Women need to start asking more questions when they are diagnosed. What surgeon to look for, consulting a plastic surgeon for breast reconstruction or having treatment before surgery which then limits the surgery itself,” she said.
Many women panic when they are diagnosed with breast cancer and listen to their doctor when he books them in for an operation the following day, said Kyriakides.
“There is no reason to rush. Women need to make the right decision and time to think about what to do. There are different options to consider and assess. They just have to wait a few days. The cancer won’t kill them in that time.
“I’m not saying wait weeks – just enough time to ask around. These are decisions that are irreversible once they’ve been made.”
Kyriakides said she had witnessed horrific mastectomies carried out by doctors who did not have enough experience in breast surgery and reconstructions that had been undertaken by general surgeons and not plastic surgeons.
“A specialist is someone who operates on a lot of breast cancer cases every year. There are some doctors in Cyprus who handle three quarters of all cases, that’s someone with experience. As for breast reconstruction, a plastic surgeon must always be consulted first,” she said.
Another goal Europa Donna has set for itself is the purchase of a mobile breast-screening unit. “This is a fully equipped medical vehicle and is the best possible way of reaching women all over the island, including the villages,” said Kyriakides.
The only obstacle is the price, as one of these units costs about 400,000 euros (£238,000). Europa Donna has plans to buy one as soon as it raises enough money through donations,even if it takes several years, she said.
According to the 2003 World Cancer Report, more than one million cases of breast cancer are diagnosed worldwide annually. Around 580,000 cases occur in developed countries and the remainder in developing countries – despite their much higher overall population and younger age, though this may have more to do with access to diagnostic facilities than actual incidence.
In 2000, the last year for which global data exists, some 400,000 women died from breast cancer, representing 1.6 per cent of all female deaths. The proportion of breast cancer deaths was far higher in the rich countries (two per cent of all female deaths) than in economically poor regions (0.5 per cent).
“The good news is that breast cancer mortality rates have started to decline in North America, Western Europe and Australia, mainly due to improvements in early detection and treatment programs such as chemotherapy and tamoxifen,” said Dr Bernard W. Stewart, co-editor of the report. “Five-year survival rates are higher than 75 per cent in most developed countries.”
The World Cancer Report is a concise manual describing the global burden, the causes of cancer, major types of malignancies, early detection and treatment. The 351-page global report is issued by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The report added that the worldwide breast cancer epidemic has many causative factors, including reproductive history, genetics, radiation (especially at times of breast development), and the Western lifestyle with a high caloric diet, obesity and lack of physical activity.
Stella Kyriakides is giving a talk on breast cancer advocacy at Highgate School Auditorium in Nicosia next Tuesday, February 10, at 7pm. The talk is in English and open to the public. Donations to Europa Donna are welcome.
