Luck seems to play focal role in the treatment of breast cancer for two out of three Greek women. The overwhelming majority of females are careless when it comes to taking precautions against breast cancer, the leading cause of death in European women between the ages of 35 to 55. In Greece alone, the disease claims over 4,000 women annually while in the European Union, one woman is diagnosed every 2.5 minutes.
With breast cancer accounting for 25% of cancers that affect women in this country, its only natural for Greece to be partaking in the international initiative observing October as the month of breast cancer awareness. It all started in the USA back in 1983 and now Greece, thanks to a joint initiative of the Hellenic Cancer Society and the Eureka group, has just wrapped up its second awareness month.
This year, the focus was on the urgent need to inform women. Events were held to present the findings of recent studies disseminating information on how to prevent breast cancer. Studies conducted by the Hellenic Cancer Society and the Hellenic Association of Women with Breast Cancer were presented at special events where the public offered a look into the nature of the problem, the overwhelming lack of information available, the saddening lack of support for patients following diagnosis or surgery and the relative optimism of professionals who insist that early detection can really save lives.
Spreading October's message around, the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer t-shirts were bought by thousands of conscious Greek consumers over the past few months.
Helplines and numbers
One of the most significant initiatives was the introduction of an open information line (++210-6401200) on which callers are given instructions on how to test themselves. Actually, a telephone poll of some 700 women over the age of 20, conducted by the Hellenic Cancer Society's Breast Care Network, found that a massive 64% of women do not test themselves, while 40% do not even know how to perform the simple, life-saving monthly task. Of those who do, 46% said they've been instructed by their gynaecologist, 3% had learnt the technique from their surgeon or general practitioner and 5% had picked it up from media reports.
But numbers continue to astound: 34% of women over the age of 40 have never had a mammogram and only 37% have had a clinical examination of their breasts. But this is much better than last years 18% and the 9% two years ago.
Last year saw a number of ambitious initiatives by volunteer groups, such as the Hellenic Association of Women with Breast Cancer, mobilising specialists and patients around the nation to get the message across to women who would otherwise be unable to access information or are too scared or even too embarrassed to seek it. Indeed, 53% of women who participated in the study said they would prefer not to be shown how to test themselves by doctors.
Establishing contact
The importance of establishing an open, trustworthy path of communication, along with a safe environment, is uncontested. After all, Greece is a conservative country and according to findings by the Hellenic Association of Women with Breast Cancer in a paper entitled The psychosocial profile of Greek women with breast cancer, the overwhelming majority of women only see a doctor when their illness is in a developed stage. Moreover, 9 out of 10 patients blame themselves for their bleak diagnosis, believing that their own frame of mind, the daily stress or just their generally bad character, is at fault.
It is not surprising that post-therapy and post-operative care is at a dire minimum with 38% of sufferers seeking support from their spouse or friends. While insurance does cover the cost of breast implants and wigs, only a relatively small number go ahead with plastic surgery. An equally small percentage appears satisfied with the operations result. Despite such disillusionments, medicine continues to entertain optimism for the treatment of breast cancer underlining that self-examination and awareness are the first necessary step.
