As part of Pink October, the Gustave Roussy Institute is launching a communications campaign to raise awareness of “after breast cancer”.
- Every year, more than 50,000 women develop breast cancer in France.
- Among them, more than 80% will live beyond 10 years after their cancer, thanks to medical and scientific progress.
- However, the treatments administered often generate toxicities in the more or less long term.
As part of Pink October, the Gustave Roussy institute launches the campaign “After breast cancer, the fight continues together.”
Breast cancer: after-effects that can degrade quality of life
Every year, more than 50,000 women develop breast cancer in France. Among them, more than 80% will live beyond 10 years after their cancer, thanks to medical and scientific progress.
However, the treatments administered often generate toxicities in the more or less long term. After breast cancer, patients may face difficulties in their daily life: change in body image, pain, fatigue, chronic motor function disorders, urinary and gastric problems, psychological and professional consequences, etc. For 63, 5% of them, these after-effects permanently degrade their quality of life.
After breast cancer, “many questions can arise”
“In 2040, 26 million people are expected to face this situation worldwide. This is why it is important to identify and prevent side effects, in order to improve the quality of life of women during and after breast cancer. breast”, estimates the Gustave Roussy Institute in a press release.
“The period between the end of initial treatments for breast cancer (surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy) and the start of monitoring is a special period. Patients move from an active phase of treatment with frequent visits to the hospital to a follow-up phase with more spaced out visits. During this post-cancer phase, many questions may arise.” adds the research center.
A care structure dedicated to “after breast cancer”
This campaign deployed on social networks throughout the month of October is based both on patient testimonials and on data from the Interval medical and scientific program. “After breast cancer, the fight continues together” is much more than a promise, it is a reality embodied by My Care by Gustave Roussy, the care structure dedicated to post-cancer which will be inaugurated very soon and which already welcomes fighters who have won their first fight against cancer”, conclude the authors of the new communication campaign.
With more than 12,000 deaths per year in France, breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in women.
