Ct’s a disease that we talk about a lot, but about which we don’t know everything. The causes of breast cancer are “ very difficult to determine », Announces Alexandra Bigotte, gynecologist at Calais hospital.
« There are only risk factors, but the real cause of breast cancer is quite complex to recognize. Now we know that there are means of prevention. We know that we must fight obesity, alcoholism, smoking and lack of physical activity. But there is no such thing as having a behavior that would 100% prevent breast cancer. »
Screening, the key word in the fight against breast cancer
Despite the difficulties in terms of preventing the disease, there is a way to prevent breast cancer from claiming victims: screening. “ If it is detected in time and is limited to the breast, we will be able, in almost 99% of cases, to cure this disease. It is important to carry out frequent screening, in the form of a mammogram every two years, in women without any particular risk factors from the age of 50, otherwise we can do screening beforehand, in patients who have history in the family, who have already had a benign breast lesion or who had special treatment in their youth, for example. »
Even if the cure rate is rather good for women with breast cancer, after remission, follow-up remains important. In order to improve the patient’s quality of life and reduce the risk of recurrence.
The Nord and Pas-de-Calais on the front line
Breast cancer is treatable if discovered early. On average, in 90% of cases, the patient affected by the disease is cured. Cancer is genetic in 1 to 5% of cases. “ There are regions where the disease is more severe, Nord-Pas-de-Calais in particular. This is linked to precariousness, which means that access to screening is less easy. There are perhaps not more patients, but we are encountering more serious, more advanced forms. »
