“In the 2010s, I thought that cancer was something distant from me, I didn’t have that concern, mainly because of my age. But, then, I found out that a colleague had been diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 26”, he says .
The news shook the young woman, who started to take better care of herself and do breast self-examination every day. A year later, when she felt a large lump in her breast, she had no doubt what it was.
“I underwent chemotherapy for six months and then a bilateral mastectomy. There were three surgeries in total. Since then, I have completely changed my habits: I practice physical activity every day, I eat healthy, I have routine exams, I take care of my mental health and I changed my profession. I am in remission from the disease and became a mother two and a half years ago”, she says.
Karina Belickas Carreiro, mastologist and gynecologist at the Pro Matre – Santa Joana group emphasizes that, in Brazil, the rate of women under 40 diagnosed with cancer is higher than in European countries, the United States and Canada.
“In these locations, the rate is 5% and, here, 12%. We still cannot identify what differentiates us, but, based on this, we can think about prevention and tracking planning”, he points out.
Tags: Diagnoses increasing people
