Emphasizing that there are 60 thousand cases of breast cancer in Turkey every year, Denizli Private Tekden Hospital General Surgery Specialist Op. Dr. Yunus Acar made important warnings. Drawing attention to the importance of early diagnosis in breast cancer, Op. Dr. Acar said, “There are very serious treatment and survival differences between first stage breast cancer and second stage breast cancer.”
Every year, 2 million 500 thousand new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the world. In Turkey, approximately 5 thousand breast cancer cases are diagnosed every month. In October Breast Cancer Awareness and Awareness Month, Denizli Private Tekden Hospital General Surgery Specialist Op. Dr. Yunus Acar gave important information. Stating that breast cancer is more common in women, Op. Dr. Acar noted that they carry out awareness raising activities every year in October Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Stating that breast cancer is most common in women but men are also at risk of breast cancer, experts emphasized that early diagnosis is vital in breast cancer as in every type of cancer. General Surgery Specialist Op. Dr. Yunus Acar mentioned that early diagnosis, diagnosis and awareness of the patient's breast tissue are important for physicians.
“It is possible to prevent breast cancer before it occurs”
Stating that it is possible to prevent breast cancer before it occurs and that breast cancer can be prevented with appropriate lifestyle changes, Op. Dr. Acar said, “The first stage is awareness. Our aim is to explain to patients what breast cancer is, its consequences, treatment and awareness of their own breast tissues. The second and most important stage is prevention. Breast cancer is a preventable disease. We can prevent breast cancer with appropriate lifestyle changes. Preventing it before it occurs is the most important step for us. For this reason, our main goal is to raise awareness of our patients and prevent breast cancer by making our best efforts throughout October. The third stage is screening. We have annual routine screenings. With the recommendation of the Ministry of Health, mammography is performed once a year, and breast cancer screenings are performed with ultrasounds if necessary. We do not want any patient to neglect their screening. The fourth stage is early diagnosis. Early diagnosis is important for every cancer, but it is extra important for breast cancer. Because breast cancer is a disease that can be treated almost completely in early diagnosis. The fifth stage is treatment. In the treatment part, you will entrust yourself to us and the sixth part is lifelong screening, follow-up and support after treatment.”
Old age and obesity pose a risk in breast cancer
Stating that breast cancer is more risky with advancing age and that the risk of cancer increases more in people with obesity, Op. Dr. Acar said, “The first is advanced age. Breast cancer is a disease that is mostly seen over the age of 40, mostly seen at the age of 55-60. Secondly, family history, those with a family history of breast cancer are at extra risk. The third is obesity. As weight is a problem in everything, it is also a problem in cancer risk. Obesity is a serious risk factor especially in breast cancer. Fourthly, vital and dietary factors. The fifth is some hormone medications.”
Op. Dr. Acar, who also listed the measures that can be taken to prevent breast cancer, said, “We have four main proven items to prevent breast cancer. The first and most important one is daily exercise. Simple exercises done for about 20 minutes a day are seriously effective in preventing breast cancer. Secondly, obesity, getting rid of excess weight and reaching a healthy weight is important to prevent breast cancer. Thirdly, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Consuming 3-4 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily leads to a significant reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Likewise, reducing the amount of alcohol and cutting alcohol if possible causes a decrease in the risk of breast cancer.”
“There is a serious difference in treatment and survival between the first and second stages of breast cancer”
Emphasizing that early diagnosis and diagnosis is of great importance in breast cancer, General Surgery Specialist Op. Dr. Yunus Acar said, “Breast cancer is a cancer with a good prognosis in general. The 5-year survival rate in breast cancers is 91 percent on average. In other words, we predict that 91 out of 100 breast cancer patients will survive for 5 years. Of course, we cannot know this for sure, but this is predicted. Especially in early stage breast cancer, 996 out of a thousand breast cancer patients will have a 5-year survival. This means that only 4 out of a thousand patients will die from early stage breast cancer. Most deaths from breast cancer are due to patient negligence. So please do not neglect your screenings. These screenings are for early diagnosis of breast cancer. In early diagnosis, breast cancer is a disease that is almost completely curable. There are very serious treatment and survival differences between first stage breast cancer and second stage breast cancer.”
“Every woman over the age of 20 should be examined between 1 and 3 years”
Stating that women over the age of 20 should be examined by a clinical physician between certain periods in cancer screenings, and that each patient should perform a self-examination once a month, Op. Dr. Acar said, “In screenings, every woman over the age of 20 should have a breast examination performed by a clinical physician between 1 and 3 years and every woman over the age of 40 should have a 1-year or 2-year breast examination. The Ministry of Health recommends mammography every 2 years. Annual mammography and annual breast examinations are necessary for us. We also ask each patient to perform a breast self-examination once a month to get to know her own breast and to notice changes. Therefore, get to know your own breast and do not neglect your screenings.”
