Two out of ten black and brown women undergoing breast cancer treatment feel discriminated against because of their race or ethnicity. The data are preliminary and are part of an ongoing survey by the Brazilian Society of Mastology – Regional Rio de Janeiro (SBM-Rio). The research, in partnership with Instituto Nosso Papo Rosa, assesses discrimination or prejudice suffered during stages of care and treatment for breast cancer, in the public and private health systems of the state of Rio. In the initial survey, of the 200 women who answered the questions, 40% recognized themselves as black or brown. Of this universe, 20% of this universe reported having faced some type of discriminatory situation, and 10% said they were not sure if what they went through was discrimination. When asked about self-esteem, about 40% said that this factor was a barrier to continuing with the treatment, with 30% leaving social life and 25% stopping physical activity. Preliminary data also show that 10% separated or were abandoned by their partner and 43% of the black and brown women interviewed did not return to work after the diagnosis. “These are women in the highest risk age group, between 45 and 65 years. And we had, unfortunately, this surprise to see, these days, this feeling on the part of these women who are already suffering a situation [de câncer] so difficult, so complicated, especially if we think of a public system, with all the difficulty of treatment, and they still have to suffer from this structural racism”, said the president of SBM-Rio and Instituto Nosso Papo Rosa, doctor Maria Júlia Calas The doctor explained that the survey is open to patients of all races and ethnicities, in order to collect more data. “The questionnaire has 25 questions. This opens up a range of other observations, reaching other areas, such as returning to work, for example”. The goal is to complete the survey by October, the month dedicated to raising awareness for the prevention and control of breast cancer worldwide. “For October, we want to have this data fully structured”, said Maria Júlia. The information gathered so far will be presented at the International Mastology Symposium (SimRio 2023), which takes place from the 22nd to the 24th of this month, in Rio de Janeiro. LGBTQIA+ The doctor says that another highlight of the research will be the LGBTQIA+ public, which she has been tracking since 2020. The focus is on transgender people, people whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth. “Transgenderism is what interests us most, in the sense of the possibility of the disease, because they are people who use hormones to have characteristics specific to the sex with which they identify and take hormones in high doses, for very long periods. These people are our main focus of interest in the investigation of breast cancer”. Information already collected by SBM-Rio shows that trans women (who are born biologically male, but identify themselves as female) use the female hormone (estrogen). With this, the breast grows in volume, as they wish. “This hormone, however, increases the risk of breast cancer in this population. We see that in trans women, the incidence of breast cancer is higher than in cisgender men. It increases the risk by the use of estrogen”. The president of SBM Rio warned, however, that the literature is still not robust and does not indicate how long this woman can use the hormone without risk or how long there may be a risk of developing cancer. “These are data that we still don’t have in the world literature. We are looking for that information.” With regard to the LBGTQIA+ population, Maria Júlia Calas pointed out the existence of a great lack of care, due to prejudice itself and the lack of care of a multidisciplinary team in adequately serving this population. “We end up losing control, diagnosis, screening, losing the chance to care for this population, knowing that it has a greater risk due to the use of hormones”. For the president of SBM Rio, the theme brings a debate and the need for a different approach even for the medical profession. Trans women are also on the agenda of the International Mastology Symposium, in which doctors from all over the country and abroad participate, such as mastologists, oncologists, radiologists, among others.
Agência Brasil
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