Breast cancer
Some facts
Breast cancer is a public health problem. Almost one woman out of ten has a risk of developing breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
Approximately 95% of these cancers are diagnosed after 40 years and 75% after 50 years. This pathology is the first cause of death in women between 40 and 55 years old. The risk of breast cancer rises with age and a plateau of incidence is obtained around 70 years old.
Why a mammographic screening of breast cancer ?
Several years can be lost before a breast cancer can be palpable. With the mammographic screening, it is possible to detect a small tumor before the appearance of any other symptom or clinical sign. The aim of screening is to treat the breast cancer before the development of metastases and so to increase the survival rate.
The advantages of a mammography:
Reduction of mortality. More than 30% of avoided death !
Less agressive treatment: the detected cancers are often very small, so ablation of the breast can often be avoided. Chemotherapy is less often necessary also.
The echography:
An echography is an ultrasound examination of the breast. One can, in some cases, find additional information to the mammography.
In practice: when performing a mammography ?
Besides the breast examination conducted by your doctor or gynaecologist - at least yearly - and the monthly self examination, a mammography should be performed every five years for women aged less than 50 and every two years for women aged over 50.
The decrease of death-rate for patients over 50 has since long been proved and oscillates between 30 and 40% over a period of 8 years.
If you discover a lump in your breast please consult your doctor or gynaecologist as soon as possible.
Our Centre has all the necessary equipment to conduct a full check-up for breast cancer prevention.
All you need to do is to make an appointment via our secretariat
(tel: 02 648 39 97 - fax: 02 646 69 73 - email: vanlaerv@gmail.com ).
The examination takes about 15 minutes and can normally be conducted during the week you called for the appointment.
The results are being communicated to your doctor the day of the examination.
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