Breast cancer: a promising future

According to the report Cancer figures in Spain 2023 prepared by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) and the Spanish Network of Cancer Registries (REDECAN), in 2023, 35,001 new cases of breast cancer in Spain, which represents 29% of all female cancers in the country. Globally, it is the most common among women and its incidence in the Western world is 11%, which means that more than one in 10 women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.

However, the future of the disease is increasingly promising. «Compared to recent years, we are witnessing a revolution both in early diagnosis and in patient treatments. In both early disease and advanced disease, the majority of patients are cured and the most chronic patients have an excellent life prognosis,” he celebrates. Lucía González Cortijohead of the Medical Oncology Service at the Quirónsalud Madrid University Hospital.

Thanks to all the advances in this field, in recent decades, the patient survival has improved noticeably. “Now I see the future as promising, because I wouldn’t wish cancer on anyone, it’s horrible, but you take away a lot of things and you learn to value everything much better,” he shares. Maria Garciabreast cancer patient.

The power of prevention

In the fight against disease, prevention becomes a powerful tool. «Thanks to screening campaigns carried out with mammography, the majority of breast cancer is detected. How many? Well, 80% of those who undergo a biopsy and undergo surgery have been diagnosed in these screening campaigns,” details the Dr. Vicente Martínez de Vega, head of the Diagnostic Imaging Service at the Quirónsalud Madrid University Hospital. In this way, lesions that are not yet palpable by the patient can be diagnosed.

On other occasions, it is the patient who notices a lesion in the breast. In that case, “the first step is to do a mammogram and an ultrasound, which are the simplest tests, and, if the lesion is suspected, it must be completed with an MRI,” explains the head of the Medical Oncology Service. . These imaging techniques also allow us to make a histological diagnosis, direct biopsies and take samples without surgery. “In this way, surgeons and oncologists already know exactly what cancer we are talking about and what type of treatment is most appropriate for each of them,” says the head of the Diagnostic Imaging Service.

Thanks to screening campaigns carried out with mammography, the majority of breast cancer is detectedDoctor Vicente Martínez de VegaHead of the Diagnostic Imaging Service of the Quirónsalud Madrid University Hospital

María García discovered a fold in the chest and, taking advantage of a visit to a surgeon, he showed it to him. «He suggested that I have a mammogram and an ultrasound to rule out the presence of cancer and, in the end, we did not rule it out. “It was confirmed that he had one,” he says. «I was waiting ten days for them to give me the results of the tests. They were the worst 10 days of my lifebecause you know you have something, but you don’t know what it is,” he adds.

He entered the circuit Breast Unit of the Quirónsalud Madrid University Hospital, where a study is carried out on the patient, who is then presented to the Breast Committee that meets weekly to agree on the therapeutic approach for patients among medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, gynecologists and plastic surgeons. Due to the type of tumor and her age, she was considered receiving chemotherapy before the operation.

First ‘chemo’, then surgery

«Classically, patients were operated on initially, but increasingly we are operating after receiving prior chemotherapy treatment, which is called neoadjuvant therapy. When we give these patients treatment and operate on them, whether there is a tumor or no tumor is a very important piece of prognostic information and also for plan a plan B in case residual disease remains. Therefore, after surgery, we give them a different treatment to try to eradicate that residual micrometastatic disease that may exist,” explains the head of the Medical Oncology Service. At some point in the process, up to 60% of patients will also receive radiotherapy, a basic treatment in the world of oncology.

After a few months of chemotherapy, the tumor Maria Garcia had disappeared. “It was a joy because my body had responded fully, which made it easier and gave a little more options when deciding the type of operation and the next steps,” says the patient.

It was a joy because my body had responded fullyMaria GarciaPatient

When the time comes for the operation, “conservative surgical treatment consists of preserving the breast, removing the breast tissue where the tumor is located with a safety margin around it, and removing what we call the sentinel lymph node, which is the first lymph node that receives the tumor.” tumor drainage,” details Ginés Hernández Cortés, associate head of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Service at Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud Madrid. This conservative surgical treatment is used in 100% of patients who conserve their breast; mastectomy depends on the tumor size and the number of affected lymph nodes also influences.

For patients of reproductive age, the Quirónsalud Madrid University Hospital also has a solution. «We referred the patient to our Assisted Reproduction Unitin order to be able to perform ovarian stimulation and cryopreserve oocytes, so that, before receiving a treatment that could compromise the patient’s fertility, she has capital that she can use in the future and, of course, collected in the best conditions,” explains Ginés Hernández Cortés.

Together and with sport, the better

In the difficult process that is the diagnosis of breast cancer, the free feeling (and not invaded by the tyranny of positivism that sometimes exists from outside) and the support of the group help. Know that you are not alone and that other patients are going through the same thing. “It has been shown that social support is very important and that there are far fewer side effects when people are not alone. And physical exercise, of course, both at the level of the disease and at the psychological level,” he says. Virginia Cowpsychologist at the Quirónsalud Madrid University Hospital.

Social support has been shown to be very important and there are far fewer side effectsVirginia CowPsychologist at the Quirónsalud Madrid University Hospital

And it is that physical exercise has been shown to be beneficial in the development of breast cancer (a person who exercises has a lower risk of developing it), once the tumor is diagnosed (physical activity clearly improves quality of life) and during treatment. «Decreases toxicity, the treatment is better tolerated and allows a patient to receive their treatment at full doses. And above all, strength exercise is very important. Exercise has also shown that patients have had fewer relapses since then,” explains the psychologist about a disease that is becoming easier to beat.