Two out of ten women from Extremadura still do not show up for breast cancer screening tests, a program that in 2027 will be extended in the region to those who reach 45 years old.
With this expansion, next year around 15,000 women from Extremadura will join a key test for the early detection of the disease and which, in the words of health officials, is a tool capable of "saving lives".
The Assembly of Extremadura hosted this Monday the institutional event on the occasion of World Breast Cancer Day, where the need to attend these preventive checks has been emphasized.
The Minister of Health, Sara García Espada, has asked the women of the community to be "alert" to their mailbox, as they will receive a letter with the appointment to join a program that has allowed the detection of the disease in 55 women from Extremadura under 50 years old since the screening age was brought forward.
"Despite the fact that we are one of the autonomous communities with the highest percentage of response to that screening appointment, to this day there are just over two out of ten women from Extremadura who are summoned that do not attend the screening," García Espada has asserted, who has invited them to attend even if they are "afraid" or have "doubts" but "never stop attending an appointment that could save their lives".
The minister has also reminded that, although breast cancer mainly occurs in women, 1 percent of diagnoses correspond to men, whom she has encouraged to consult with their doctor if they notice changes in the nipple or in the skin of the breast.
In this line, García Espada has emphasized that the goal of the Extremadura Health Service (SES) is "to be there first, to be close, and to be there always," something that, she said, is only possible "hand in hand with health professionals."
The president of the Extremadura Oncology Association (AOEx), Isabel Rolán, has highlighted that this date serves to give "maximum visibility" to breast cancer and to pay tribute "to the courage, strength, and hope" of those who have suffered from it or are currently facing it.
She has emphasized that "each story, each struggle, each smile" represents an example of life and overcoming in the face of a pathology that, although it mainly affects women, also impacts men and, with them, their families and their entire environment.
Rolán has explained that the AOEx aims to "continue informing, accompanying, and raising awareness" among the entire citizenry, reminding that early detection saves lives and that emotional and social support is as essential as medical treatments.
During the event, the oncologist and head of the Medical Oncology section of the University Hospital of Badajoz, Marta González Cordero, also intervened, highlighting that breast cancer has achieved a visibility that no other tumor possesses, something that, in her opinion, benefits all cancer patients by opening pathways and resources for other types of cancer.
She emphasized the importance of acting quickly in the face of the disease, since early detection translates into more survival, and acknowledged the effort of the Junta de Extremadura in terms of prevention.
"Having advanced the screening to 45 years and participating in projects are decisions that change stories. We ask that the focus on prevention be maintained and continue to grow," she valued, while defending the need to promote research, given that "to investigate is to treat the patient we have in front of us, but also the one we do not yet know."
González also called for a greater number of oncology specialists and researchers to not take time away from consultation care, and requested "agile channels" and "clear interlocutors" to prevent bureaucracy from distancing patients "from an opportunity."
She also defended the model of shared care, pointing out that an oncologist who works in a network "is not alone, they sub-specialize, research, share doubts, grow." "And a professional who grows is a professional who stays," she elaborated.
As she pointed out, shared care "does not distribute scarcity" but transforms it into a team, and she insisted that this formula "is not a patch, it is a model and it works," for which she requested that it be consolidated in the system.
For the oncologist, cancer care should not become a field of confrontation, but a space of agreement and collaboration, and she defended that, although in politics one may disagree "on almost everything," regarding the care of cancer patients, everyone must "row in the same direction."
"I have not come to point fingers at anyone, we have come to remind you of those we have behind us. Please, let us be constructive," she said.
After his intervention, Jorge Bravo de los Ríos, husband of a breast cancer patient, took the floor to read the manifesto of the day.
He explained that families suffer from a "parallel, silent, and rarely named" illness, which he defined as the illness of "uncertainty".
He mentioned emotions such as fear and guilt, and added that, according to various studies, the level of psychological stress, anxiety, and emotional wear of the person accompanying the patient is often as high as that of the one receiving the diagnosis, and even sometimes greater.
Bravo de los Ríos lamented that almost never is there a question about the state of the family member of the cancer patient, whom he referred to as "co-sick", since they do not suffer from cancer but are "invisible sick".
In this sense, he argued that psychological support for family members is not a luxury, but a basic necessity to be able to sustain themselves throughout the process of an oncological illness.
Commitment of the institutions
The first vice president of the Assembly, Domingo Expósito, warned that the closeness to breast cancer should not lead to a loss of "sensitivity", and emphasized that visibility is not synonymous with real commitment.
In relation to the events taking place in October and the involvement of administrations, companies, and citizens, he pointed out that they are "important" and "positive" initiatives, but stressed that this support "cannot end when October is over".
"Nor can it remain in a photograph or in a simply symbolic gesture. True commitment must be demonstrated all year round," he asserted.
Expósito highlighted that this commitment is concretized, for example, in accompanying patients, attending to their needs, providing psychological and social support, facilitating access to available resources, and also listening to those who have managed to overcome the illness.
Finally, the mayor of Mérida, Antonio Rodríguez Osuna, acknowledged the work carried out by the Extremadura Oncological Association (AOEx) and reiterated the willingness of the city council to collaborate as much as possible.
Rodríguez Osuna valued the "prestige", "professionalism", and dedication of healthcare professionals towards patients, in addition to insisting on the importance of early detection of breast cancer.