“The sooner, the better” is the slogan for the campaign launched by the Brazilian Society of Mastology (SBM) for Pink October 2020. The idea is to reinforce the importance of prevention in addition of visits to the doctor and periodical exams, drawing attention to the adoption of a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition and physical activity.

The quarantine imposed by the coronavirus pandemic has led many Brazilian women to stop seeing their gynecologists or mastologists for prevention or treatment of breast cancer. The survey Breast cancer: health care during quarantine, by Ibope, heard 1,400 women between 20 and more than 60 years of age, in different cities and regions of the country. The results show that 62% of them did not visit their physicians during the social distancing months, due to the fear of getting infected with Covid-19, and therefore failed to do their routine breast cancer exams. In the group considered to be at risk, involving those above 60 years of age, 73% say they are waiting for the pandemic to end in order to make an appointment.

Together with the adoption of a healthier lifestile, Vilmar Marques, SBM president, highlights the importance of making a mammograph every year if you are a woman over 40. The organization recommends that women resume their medical routines, including exams, in regions where the peak of Covid-19 has declined, always following all safety measures. In regions where the incidence of the disease is still high, women who are not considered urgent, who are asymptomatic, or who keep their benign alterations under control with exams should wait until the peak is over.

In cases of suspicion of palpable nodules, the woman should not postpone her appointment and should look for medical help immediately for a diagnosis, highlights SBM.

The Brazilian Society of Mastology (SBM) has drawn up a list of tips and habits to create a healthy routine:

• Eat well and never go too long without eating - try to eat a small meal every three hours, always giving priority to natural foods and avoiding processed ones.
• Avoid consuming too many simple fats and carbohydrates, such as sugar added to foods, sweets, boxed juice, sodas, white bread, pasta; give preference to whole foods when possible.
• Choose good-quality proteins, mostly fruits and vegetables, as they are good sources of essential vitamins and minerals and are rich in fibers, which help with satiety and keep your intestines working well.
• Do physical activities throughout the week. The ideal amount of exercise is 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous workout, spread over the week.
• Plan your meals for the day and try to stick to the plan.

With information of the Brazilian Society of Mastology (SBM) portal.