The Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (Issste) held the conversation "Breast cancer is not a synonym for death" as part of awareness actions aimed at beneficiaries to address this type of disease. The event, organized by the Subdirectorate of Beneficiary Care, is framed within the activities of Pink Month, dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer, the most common disease and the leading cause of death among women globally.
During the talk, experiences of survivors were shared, and specialists highlighted the importance of empowering attendees to adopt proactive health habits and use appropriate resources to approach the treatment process with hope and resilience.
María del Pilar Borja, a breast cancer patient, showed how fear flooded her world upon receiving her test results: "My first reaction was to think: I am going to die." For her, the fear was not only related to the disease itself but also with worrying about her children.
At the event, Janeth Salgado Castillo, another breast cancer survivor, shared the difficulty of accepting the physical changes brought by treatment: "I didn't recognize myself in the mirror." This feeling of distress is common, especially among those with a family history of the disease. It is crucial to intentionally seek symptoms, as an increasing number of cases are detected in women under 40.
According to the Global Cancer Observatory, in 2022, 2.3 million cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women worldwide, with 670,000 deaths from this cause. In Mexico, 80% of cases are diagnosed after the age of 50. It is essential to detect and treat the disease timely to avoid complications that could threaten the patients' lives.
Issste provides comprehensive care to the beneficiary population with the aim of improving the prognosis of breast cancer through Breast Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Centers distributed across various medical units throughout the country. Specialists report that these locations have more than 93 mammographs, facilitating access to early diagnoses that help reduce female mortality from this cause.
Breast cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled multiplication of cells in the breasts, forming malignant tumors. According to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), in 2023 Mexico recorded eight thousand 34 deaths from complications of this disease.
