Rate of women with untreated breast cancer increases – 04/15/2024 – Health

Health authorities around the world are committed to fighting breast cancer, which has become the most common cancer today, surpassing lung cancer. In 2021, the WHO (World Health Organization) set a global goal of reducing mortality by 2.5% per year by 2040, saving the lives of 2.5 million people. But advances like this are still a challenge, according to a study published this Monday (15) in the prestigious scientific journal The Lancet.

Misinformation and stigma associated with the disease, in addition to inequality in the supply of treatments — which varies depending on the region or socioeconomic condition — make treatment and diagnosis difficult, according to the report signed by researchers in oncology, radiotherapy and epidemiology from different countries .

Lack of knowledge about the advanced disease is among the main difficulties identified in the research, says Brazilian oncologist Carlos Barrios, from the Oncoclínicas Group, who was part of the commission.

With the technologies developed so far, patients at this stage can exceed ten years of life, but few people know. This lack of information interferes with the way health professionals deal with the condition and how patients themselves view themselves, tending to be skeptical and delaying the search for help.

Another problem arising from this impasse is the underreporting of cases of metastasis (when the tumor spreads to other organs), which makes planning and providing care difficult.

In this sense, the commission reinforces the importance of initiatives that promote the social inclusion of patients, such as legal flexibility in the work regime, and projects that help transform the conception of the disease.

“With the correct information, targeted treatment and lifestyle changes, a person with metastasis can lead a life similar to anyone else with a chronic disease”, says oncologist Maria Cristina Figueroa, professor at PUCPR (Pontifical University Católica do Paraná) and creator of the Nós por Elas project, which aims to improve the journey of patients diagnosed with common cancers in women.

Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, access to them is unequal, and this is another difficulty mentioned by the commission. There are differences between rich and low-income countries, and even in those with consolidated public health systems there are limitations, says Barrios.

“In Brazil, for example, the SUS [Sistema Único de Saúde] still cannot offer the most modern technology in the world to increase survival”, says the doctor.

“Even in the Brazilian private sector, we have challenges”, adds oncologist Aline Vieira, from Hospital São Marcelino Champagnat, in Curitiba. “According to the agreement, a diagnosis can take around a month. Furthermore, the patient is not always able to access the medication we prescribe”, she says.

A study released in 2021 by the Cancer Foundation showed that only 34% of SUS patients were able to start treatment within 60 days of diagnosis, the limit set by law for starting care in the public system. But, even in the private sector, only 48% started within this period.

In the Lancet report, experts also cite a recent concept in health, that of hidden suffering, which refers to those that are difficult to measure, but central to understanding the clinical picture, such as psychological pain, economic dilemmas and family conflicts. The idea is that treatments increasingly take into account the psychosocial complexity that involves patients, beyond just the physical impacts. “New metrics must be developed to improve this perspective”, says Barrios.

The report also predicts a gradual increase in the incidence of breast cancer worldwide due to the current lifestyle in the West, which involves, among other factors, a sedentary lifestyle, high consumption of alcohol and ultra-processed foods. “But this projection is not inevitable”, reinforces the doctor. “We believe that educating and informing people about healthier lives can make all the difference in the long term,” he says.

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