October is the month of breast cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment and the topic of the live Facebook stream with Dr. Corrado Tinterri, Director of the Breast Unit at Humanitas and Margarita Gjeloshi, Breast care nurse in Humanitas.
As Dr. Tinterri explained: “The positive fact is that today we heal much more patients, despite the fact that more women are suffering from breast cancer. However, we look to the future with hope because the work done in recent years has meant that many more women are treated appropriately.
Primary and secondary prevention
“When we talk about breast cancer prevention, we must try to focus above all on secondary prevention, that is to say, on the prevention that makes it possible to identify the smallest possible tumor: a small tumor is the one that heals most easily, thanks to treatments that are less debilitating, less invasive and less prolonged.
Primary prevention is equally important and involves an adequate lifestyle, the fight against sedentariness, constant sporting activity and a healthy and balanced diet”, Dr. Tinterri recalled.
Breast Unit, women at the center
The Breast Units are a great revolution; they are dedicated centers for breast cancer. “Given the numbers and prevalence of this disease, centers throughout the country are needed to ensure the best possible path to these women and the highest likelihood of recovery. A few years ago a decree-law was issued that obliges the regions by 2017 to create, based on population numbers and geographical distribution, dedicated centers in which women can start from the prevention phase, through diagnosis, treatment and up to dedicated personal follow up, and ad hoc services,” explained the specialist.
The role of Breast care nurse
Margarita Gjeloshi is one of the nurses dedicated to women with breast cancer. “Women who come into contact with breast cancer have to radically but temporarily change their life path, which goes hand in hand with an unanticipated disease. I play a shock-absorbing role among all the professionals around a patient.
One of the tools available in Humanitas is “My diary”, a personal diary that contains not only information about the path and advice to safeguard the quality of life, but also empty pages to leave room for individual feelings, what the patient feels in those moments, fears and difficulties he faces.
Dr. Tinterri then answered some questions from live users and addressed several issues, such as the importance of preserving fertility in women who are faced with a tumor, perhaps at a young age and who want to have children in the future. Other topics include tumor inheritance and the role of research.
Watch the live stream:
