Women often notice breast abnormalities or sense the presence of a small lump under the skin. These small red flags deserve your attention and a specialised breast exam.
Dr. Corrado Tinterri, director of the Breast Unit at Humanitas tells us. “Today it is very important to know how to steer through the healthcare sector. By 2017, the healthcare system should be providing Centers dedicated to breast cancer in all Italian regions. This was stipulated in the document approved by the State Conference regions in December 2014. Thus representing the first model and guidelines on the organizational and welfare mode of the Network of Breast Centers. These Centers throughout the Italian territory will constitute a guarantee of quality of care and would avoid the ineffective and many trips by women which is still very frequent in Italy “.
Throughout Italy, there are centers dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. You can find the nearest hospital with a Center for a breast exam on the Senonetwork site, the association of all the scientific societies.
How does a Breast Center work?
In the Breast Center (or Breast Unit), you can come for everything related to breast healthcare! This means from a diagnostic clinical breast exam until possible surgical therapy, medical oncology and radiotherapy. According to Senonetwork, in Italy there are 120 Breast Units, some of which are certified through EUSOMA, a specific European directorate. The Breast Unit at Humanitas is certified through EUSOMA.
Medical staff and Dedicated nursing
“This is very important, there is now scientific evidence that women who get treatment in dedicated centers are more likely to recover from their illness. Furthermore, they have better therapeutic outcomes that are also less disabling due to the experience.
The Centers must also have dedicated personnel for preserving fertility in young women who get sick. There are tumor geneticists for women at high familial or inherited risk and psycho-oncologists for assistance before and after treatment. Plastic surgeons and oncologist surgeons perform combined interventions, especially for metastatic women and as part of palliative care”, says Dr. Tinterri.
Why choose a Breast Unit for your Breast Exam?
“In these centers the risk of not having the best chance of diagnosis and treatment is much lower. Translated into simple terms, these centers offer a better diagnosis and better therapy”, concludes Dr. Tinterri.
