Every year 22,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in Spain, according to data from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC). At least 1 in 8 Spanish women will suffer from cancer in their lifetime. Facing the disease and accepting it is part of the cure, which is why oncological psychology is increasingly taking on a fundamental role in cancer treatment. “The diagnosis of a tumor is always a hard experience,” says psychologist Nuria Blanco Piñero, a member of Top Doctors and an expert in this field.
Enjoying the day-to-day
In her practice, therapist Blanco treats cancer patients and helps their families to get through all the phases of the disease. “We must always orient the person towards life, encouraging him or her to coexist and to experience the day-to-day, every moment of his or her life trajectory with the highest quality,” says Nuria Blanco in our interview.
The sessions with the therapist alternate with visits to the oncologist. Dr. Xavier González of the Dr. Rosell Oncology Institute, a Top Doctors center of excellence, informs us that in cases where only the tumor is removed, the patient can go home the same day. On the other hand, when there is lymphadenectomy, surgery of the sentinel lymph node, the first place where the tumor cells go, hospital admissions are longer and it is advisable to attend the physiotherapist immediately.
Despite the surgical intervention, in recent years there have been great advances in the removal of breast tumors: “It is no longer necessary to always remove the axillary nodes. On many occasions we only look to see if the sentinel lymph node is affected, which would be the first place where the tumor cells would go if they escaped from the original tumor,” says Dr. Xavier Gonzalez.
Prevention
The European average of people who survive breast cancer is 79%; Spain is above that with 83%. However, 53.7% of Spanish women say that they do not have annual preventive mammograms. This figure alarms specialists, since the solution lies in early detection. One of the basic pieces of advice to be taken into account in day-to-day practice is that of Dr. Xavier Gonzalez: “The relationship between obesity and the incidence of breast cancer has been fully demonstrated. A healthy diet that allows weight to be controlled correctly will reduce the incidence of breast cancer. Doing sport also reduces estrogen levels, further reducing this risk”.