Christ gains pink and blue colors today against breast and prostate cancer

Christ the Redeemer will be lit up tonight (15) with pink and blue colors to draw attention to the importance of fighting breast and prostate cancer. The color pink will mark the beginning of the national campaign of O Ano Todo Rosa, promoted by Oncologia D’Or, to support women in the fight against the disease. According to the unit, one in eight women should develop breast cancer throughout their lives, being the second most frequent type of tumor in the world and the one with the highest incidence in women.

For the regional director of Oncologia D’Or, Marcus Vinicius J. dos Santos, for being a well-known postcard of Rio, the lighting of the Christ is intended to attract the attention of those who live in the city, but also of tourists. “It’s almost inevitable that you look for Christ in the city’s landscape. So when the person stops to admire the Christ and comes across the colors, he can reflect on the need to take care of his health,” he said.

Oncologia D’Or will make available in its site and in their profiles on social networks simple and direct guidance from some of the country’s leading oncologists. The service aims to clarify common doubts of women. The president of Oncologia D’Or, Paulo Hoff, warned of the need for women to understand that they cannot wait for the month of October to worry about exams and prevention measures. “It is necessary that this care and attention be throughout the year”, he said, adding that for this, it is essential to bring quality information to the population, because, in many cases, it is still necessary to demystify the disease.

Despite campaigns over the years, the fight against the disease in women still faces some barriers. One of them, according to oncologist José Bines, as contradictory as it may seem, is the prejudice of women themselves with mammography, which unfortunately, remains present in the minds of many people with the terrible idea that whoever looks for it, finds it.

According to the doctor, some women create a false expectation that the disease will not manifest itself if they do not go to the doctor or undergo preventive exams. But there is also more resistance. “We see cases of women who avoid the exam due to the pain it causes or fear of exposure to radiation, despite the procedure being proven safe and indicated by the best specialists as the main form of prevention”, she pointed out.

The oncologist also highlighted the occurrence of cases in which women only resort to the exam when they notice some symptom, which usually indicates that the disease is in an advanced state, with serious health risks. “If diagnosed at an early stage, the chance of successful treatment is 95%,” he said.

Another mistake reported by the doctor is trusting that self-examination is enough for cancer screening, which can lead women to the false sensation of being healthy when the tumor already exists, but it is not possible to feel it by touch. According to the oncologist, it is important to check the family history, because between 5% and 10% of cases of breast cancer occur due to an inherited predisposition to develop the disease.

“When there are cases in the family, it is necessary to pay even more attention to prevention”, he said, recommended for these cases to seek an evaluation by an oncogeneticist, who will investigate whether there are inherited mutations that would facilitate the development of different types of cancer.

José Bines informed that performing radiotherapy in the chest increases the risk of developing breast cancer, and if the woman has undergone any treatment with this procedure, she must maintain a close medical follow-up. In addition, it is recommended to be aware of habits that help prevent the disease. Healthy eating, physical activity and body weight control can cooperate to prevent 28% of breast cancer cases.

“Excessive alcohol consumption, use of oral contraceptives, being overweight, especially postmenopausal women, and hormone replacement therapy all increase the risk of breast cancer,” he noted.

Already prostate cancer, according to the Ministry of Health, is the cause of death of 28.6% of the male population. In Brazil, a man dies every 38 minutes due to prostate cancer, according to the most recent data from the National Cancer Institute (Inca).