The multidisciplinary breast care centers – Breast Unit – represent the flagship in the care and assistance of those who face a fear of the breast: it is not necessarily a physical structure, but rather it is a multidisciplinary functional health unit where the entire breast cancer treatment process is carried out. The Breast Unit is equipped with shared protocols, starting from timely initial diagnosis, to advanced diagnostic investigations (second level instrumental investigations, molecular investigations), to surgical, radiotherapy and medical treatment of the disease, to post-operative, physical and psychological rehabilitation , to controls in the short and long term (follow-up), including the management of hereditary risk. Like this Alberto Zambelliassociate professor of medical oncology at Humanitas University and section head of breast cancer at the Humanitas Irccs Cancer Center in Rozzano, in an editorial published in Allies for Health (www.alleatiperlasalute.it ), the portal dedicated to medical-scientific information created by Novartis.
In Italy – remembers Zambelli – on 18 December 2014 the State-Regions agreement was signed which established the establishment of the Breast Units, defining their essential requirements. According to the agreement, and in accordance with the recommendations issued by the European Parliament, each Region is called to identify and create a BU for every 250,000 inhabitants: each center must treat at least 150 new cases every year and must have a core team of at least 6 professionals dedicated to the pathology, including: radiologist, surgeon, pathologist, oncologist, radiotherapist, data manager. In fact, whenever possible other professionals are also encouraged to be part of the BUs, because cinvolved in the management of the pathology and in particular: gynecologist, geneticist, psychologist, plastic surgeon, physiatrist, geriatrician, endocrinologist, molecular biologist, research nurse, case manager.
The work of qhis multidisciplinary team is the strong element that qualifies the activity of the BU and determines the results of treatment. In fact, it is shown that, in high-volume structures and where the diagnosis / treatment activity is centered in the Breast Units, survival improves significantly and a person with breast cancer and treated in the context of the Breast Unit has greater opportunities for healing than to those who do not access the BU (5-year survival of 83.9% and 74.9% respectively, according to medical literature data). This advantage is related to the fact that the treatment of breast cancer is not exclusively linked to the surgical act itself or to the administration of a specific drug, but rather to a global attention to the patient, where scientific knowledge and updates are truly transferred. in the clinic and where the various experts meet to ensure the best diagnostic practices, correct therapeutic management and specialist surveillance. These things together determine the therapeutic success observed in BUs compared to impromptu management. Furthermore, the efficient work of a multidisciplinary group produces appropriateness, coherence and continuity of the diagnostic-therapeutic pathwaysresulting in an improvement in the use of resources, with a reduction in disparities, and sustainability of the diagnosis and treatment processes.
The only certification of value is that issued by the European society of breast cancer specialist (Eusoma) which guarantees, through third party evaluators, compliance with the guidelines established by the European society of breast cancer specialist.
Each BU, as identified by the Region, ensures that every patient with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer obtains the diagnosis / treatment path as part of its activities. It is therefore important to know if the hospital center referred to is a center for which the Region has qualified the existence of a BU. In case it is also possible to know if the reference BU has the Eusoma certification or not. Knowing which BUs are in your region is not difficult and is possible through the information provided by the regional health services (site health region) or through patient associations (Europa Donna) that promote the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
The full article is available on: https://www.alleatiperlasalute.it/salute-20/centralita-delle-breast-unit-nella-cura-delle-donne-con-tumore-della-mammella
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