For the upcoming Breast Cancer Awareness month, Acıbadem Ataşehir Hospital Breast Center specialists and patients undergoing treatment met. They drew attention to the importance of regular check-ups.
As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the number of activities carried out to raise public awareness is increasing. Acıbadem Healthcare Group, which launched a new awareness project on breast cancer with the motto “We are Ready for Every Round”, started its social awareness activities with the opening of Acıbadem Ataşehir Hospital Breast Center, which was recently added to its structure. The Acıbadem Ataşehir Hospital Breast Center, which will serve with a multidisciplinary approach in breast cancer, held an opening event with the participation of experts as well as patients undergoing treatment. At the opening event, where patients who met with their specialists experienced emotional hours, the things to be known about breast cancer were explained, patients shared their own treatment stories and drew attention to the importance of early diagnosis.
“Regular check-ups increase early diagnosis”
Acıbadem Ataşehir Breast Center Supervisor, General Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. Metin Çakmakçı and center specialists; Prof. Dr. Tarık Zafer Nursal, Prof. Dr. Özge Gümüşay, Prof. Dr. Bülent Saçak, Prof. Dr. Evrim Kadriye Tezcanlı, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özden Sıla Ulus Buturak, Dr. Mümtaz Özarar, Dr. Evrim Abamor and many leading experts in the field attended the opening.
Giving important information about breast cancer, Prof. Dr. Metin Çakmakçı said in his opening speech, “Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. Statistics show that every year, 2 million 296 thousand people in the world and 25 thousand 249 people in Turkey meet breast cancer. This number is increasing steadily. We see that young women are also getting this cancer more frequently than in the past. But on the other hand, the rate of awareness is increasing with social awareness activities, and the rate of early diagnosis is also increasing. More people are having regular check-ups. In addition, as a result of scientific research in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, there are also encouraging increases in treatment success. The first information that women should keep in mind is to have regular check-ups. Women under 40 should have regular ultrasound every year, and women after 40 should have ultrasound and mammography every year to increase the chances of early diagnosis. Early diagnosis in breast cancer means an increase in treatment success.”
“Multidisciplinary treatment is very important”
Explaining that there are many factors that increase the success of breast cancer treatment, Prof. Dr. Metin Çakmakçı made the following warnings for patients: “The treatment of breast cancer, like other types of cancer, is a process that requires many specialists from different branches to come together, evaluate the patient together and make joint decisions. Therefore, when starting a treatment process, it is important to choose centers that provide services with a multidisciplinary approach.”
“I was planning to settle in Madrid”
Banker Gökçe Kemancı, who attended the event, explained how her life changed from the moment she decided to have a mammogram for the first time at the age of 46: “I received a job offer from Spain. I decided to settle there, but since I had not heard good things about the health system abroad, I decided to have my check-ups here and leave. I had my first mammogram at the age of 46. There was no cancer in our family at a young age. My grandmother lived to be 100 years old. But my mammogram result surprised everyone. Of course, first me. I had breast cancer, and I had a 3.5 cm tumor, but it was not visible from the outside. My surgeon explained the situation to me very well. He said, 'You have breast cancer but we will treat it. Think of this treatment as just an interim period in your life'. That's what I thought. Of course, all my plans changed and I had my treatment in my country.” Explaining that she underwent surgery a week after she was diagnosed, Gökçe Kemancı said, “I also feel lucky, because in the genetic test performed after the surgery, I learned that chemotherapy is not necessary and that radiation therapy will be performed. Then I will continue with hormone therapy. My treatment will not take too long. I have only postponed my dream of settling in Madrid,” he said.
“I didn't want to have surgery because my son had LGS exam”
Ayşe Aras Akpınar tells the story of the disease that started when the nurse at the health center where she took her son for vaccination asked 'have you had a mammogram? “The nurse asked, and when I told her I had not, she even made an appointment for me. I was in shock when they told me the result of my mammogram. I couldn't listen to the surgeon when he was telling me. I had chemotherapy, but you ask me. My world collapsed around me. It was as if I was not me and I didn't want to talk to anyone. I wanted to get rid of the weight on me by watching funny videos.”
Stating that she has a 10-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son, Ayşe Aras Akpınar said that she did not tell her illness directly so that her children would not be affected, “My son was going to take the LGS exam. I also had to have surgery. I did not want to have surgery because my son had the LGS exam. I was afraid that it would be negatively affected. When my doctor said, 'Don't worry, you won't have a long recovery process like you think,' I agreed. Indeed, I had surgery on May 29, I took my son to the exam on June 2 and I felt good enough to wait for him.” I did not want to have surgery because my son had the LGS exam. I was afraid that it would be negatively affected. When my doctor said, 'Don't worry, you will not have a long recovery process as you think,' I agreed. Indeed, I had surgery on May 29, I took my son to the exam on June 2 and I felt well enough to wait for him.” Explaining that her daughter learned about her illness during a conversation with a classmate whose mother had breast cancer, Ayşe Aras Akpınar said, “While I was undergoing chemotherapy, her classmate, whose mother also had breast cancer, said to my daughter, 'Your mother is losing her hair just like my mother. I think your mother has breast cancer too', she was very upset and came and asked me. I told her that I had a tumor in my breast, but she never wanted to see me with my hair and eyebrows falling out. He always wanted me to cover my head. Because he was afraid that something would happen to me. I covered it for a while and talked to him a lot to get him used to the process. When he saw my hair growing over time, he was happy.”
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