Breast cancer has not disappeared, but her face has changed dramatically.

With 54,000 new cases identified each year in France *, it remains the most frequent and the deadliest of female cancers, compared with that of colon and lung.

Its incidence has certainly increased a lot: it almost doubled between 1980 and 2012. However, it is now much better than it was 25 years ago because of the therapeutic progress and the improvement of the screening which allows a taking into account. finer and earlier charge.

Half of the detected tumors measure less than 2 centimeters, which reduces the aggressiveness of treatments and increases life expectancy.

A less taboo cancer

"Since 1980, the mortality rate has dropped from 30-35% to 7-10%," says Professor Roman Rouzier, medical director of the Senology Center of the Institut Curie. The cure rate is now close to 90% and 98% in case of localized tumor!

In addition, the disease is better supported by women through physical support and psychological support measures. The focus on breast cancer has also changed. Less taboo, he tells himself in magazines and on social networks. Patients entrust their experiences, share their experience and do not hesitate to expose their body marked by the disease. Unthinkable ten years ago.

Different methods of screening for breast cancer

Mammography remains the best screening test. It is a chest X-ray that can detect tumors, nodules and cancer cells at an early stage, in the absence of any symptoms.

It is recommended every two years for women between 50 and 74 years old. In some cases, the attending physician or gynecologist may advise other monitoring modalities if there is a high risk of breast cancer or, for example, a family history.

Palpation of the breasts, whether done by a gynecologist or by oneself (this is called self-examination) can also be a way to detect the disease.

How to diagnose it?

If the doctor detects an abnormality during a consultation or after a mammogram, he orients the patient to a public or private hospital structure in order to carry out the additional examinations necessary to establish a diagnosis and a follow-up of this anomaly.

In France, some facilities offer an integrated rapid care pathway for the diagnosis of breast lesions. The multidisciplinary skills are present on site to perform the necessary examinations and establish a diagnosis in a very short time (sometimes during the day).