Attention was drawn to the fight against breast cancer in Debrecen

Three thousand people die of breast cancer in Hungary every year, even though the disease can be cured if detected in time.

In Hungary, 9,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year; that is, every 8th woman develops this disease. It is one of the most common cancers. October is the month of the fight against breast cancer, when, according to experience, many more people go for screening tests than usual.

According to experts, if everyone went for a screening test at least every two years, the number of deaths caused by breast cancer could be kept to a minimum. In addition, regular self-examination is also necessary, which only takes a few minutes every month.

According to Balázs Rozványi, president of the Hungarian Cancer League, breast cancer is not only diagnosed in women, but 2 percent of all patients are men. This year, they want to focus a little bit of attention on men who are typically diagnosed with breast cancer at a late stage.

The chances of recovery are good if the disease is detected in time: a tumour discovered in the first stage is almost 100 percent curable, while in the fifth stage, the chance of survival is only 20 percent.

Deputy Mayor of Debrecen Diána Széles emphasized that she considers it very important to tell at every event that breast cancer can be cured in an early, recognized stage with technology, according to the current state of medical science.

The disease mainly occurs among women between the ages of 45 and 65, but it is increasingly being registered in young people as well.

György Kossa, chairman of the board of trustees of the István István Debrecen University Foundation, which maintains the University of Debrecen, said that based on statistical estimates, the number of newly diagnosed cancer patients will double by 2040. In addition, nearly 60-70 percent of patients can be cured or at least made chronic, so the number of people receiving oncology care increases exponentially.

After the meeting, the participants walked together from the Old Town Hall to Kossuth Square and used pink ribbons to draw attention to the importance of regular screening tests.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu