In October, which the World Health Organization accepts as "Breast Cancer Awareness Month", warnings about breast cancer, which causes the most deaths in women, continue. Assoc. Dr. Uğur Deveci said that cancer diagnosis and treatment should continue during the pandemic period.
Although the number of cases has increased all over the world in the last 20 years, the number of deaths has decreased with early diagnosis, as has been the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on other types of cancer, especially breast cancer. The rate of hospital admissions due to anxiety and fears has decreased. This situation began to cause disruptions in diagnosis and treatment.
Assoc. Prof. Head of the Department of General Surgery pointed out that cancer diseases that are not detected in time have fatal consequences. Dr. Uğur Deveci gave the following suggestions to women to continue their cancer diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic period:
"Although breast cancer is a slowly progressing cancer, some types spread very quickly. In this situation, where even weeks are important, not applying to the hospital due to pandemic concerns paves the way for serious problems. Early diagnosis can save both your life and your breast.”
PHYSICIANS ON DUTY
Assoc. Dr. Deveci pointed out that there are disruptions in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and other cancer patients due to the Covid-19 pandemic causing serious anxiety and fear in citizens. Stating that national cancer awareness, which has been achieved with great efforts over the years, has been left aside and routine cancer screenings have been suspended, Deveci said, “It should not be forgotten that we, physicians, who deal with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer disease, are on our duty. We continue to accept patients. "We do not know how long the pandemic process will last, but this should not cause disruptions in cancer diagnosis and treatment," he said.
CANCER IS MORE DEADLY THAN CORONAVIRUS
Stating that delays in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and other types of cancer will cause more vital problems and increase death rates compared to Covid-19 disease, Deveci said that thanks to early diagnosis of breast cancer, death rates have decreased in the last 20 years and the breast has become protected.
Awareness Deveci stated that routine scanning, technological developments in imaging methods, more professional implementation of surgical procedures and improvement in treatment standards contributed to the recognition of the disease and recovery, and said: "During the pandemic, The new normal life process has begun. In this process, mask, distance and hygiene rules were redefined. The new behavioral model was secured by regulations. The pandemic won't end anytime soon. It is necessary to get used to this process and continue normal life by complying with the rules and precautions. Cancer screenings, follow-up and treatments should not be postponed. Our citizens should be assured that all full-fledged hospitals are safer than all other institutions in terms of cleaning and disinfection. This also applies to hospitals accepting Covid patients. In polyclinics and wards, normal patients and Covid patients are located in different areas and attention is paid to contact isolation. Unfortunately, the same isolation is not possible in non-hospital environments. Our patients can come to hospitals without fear and anxiety. However, Deveci recommended that they take regular walks and warned that they should not postpone their follow-up and treatment due to Covid, and that disruptions are life-threatening. Deveci emphasized that it is important for patients diagnosed with cancer to have a balanced and healthy diet, which will make their immune systems stronger, and to continue their treatment without anxiety and with a positive perspective.
MANUAL EXAMINATION AND MAMMOGRAPHY IMPORTANT
Assoc. Dr. Deveci stated that breast cancer is generally painless and occurs with hardness in the breast tissue, and although routine radiographs are taken after the age of 40, every woman should do a breast self-examination once a month starting from the age of 20, which will enable early detection of a possible tumor.
Deveci emphasized that thousands of women without any complaints are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, thanks to mammography, which has lower radiation than the radiation received during airplane travel. He said the following:
“While manual examination can only detect masses of 1 cm and above, mammography can recognize precancerous structures called microcalcifications that have not yet become masses and can detect the disease at a very early stage. Early diagnosis is lifesaving, not only in breast cancer, but in all cancers. When breast cancer is detected at an early stage, scarless and full aesthetic results are obtained with breast-conserving surgical methods. The possibility of preserving the breast decreases in advanced stage and multifocal breast cancers.”
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