Prevention
Modern medicine is increasingly transitioning towards preventive care. This shift towards prevention has also been observed in breast cancer care in recent years, particularly with the discovery of the BRCA gene. Subsequently, multiple genes and risk factors have been identified. Depending on these factors, a personalized screening strategy can be chosen. Therefore, it is crucial to understand these genetic and risk factors.
Diagnosis
I was diagnosed with cancer ... This website serves as a portal designed to assist you and your loved ones in accessing personal information and finding solutions to your concerns.
The primary goal of this website is to offer guidance and support to patients as they navigate their journey toward recovery and improved quality of life. The "Diagnosis" section of our website is divided into two main categories. Firstly, under "Anatomy and Physiology," we provide fundamental knowledge about the breast. Secondly, in the "Tumors and Disorders" section, we delve deeper into various breast-related conditions.
Moreover, we aim to provide information to women who may be concerned about potential breast issues but are hesitant to seek immediate medical advice. Knowledge and information can often offer immediate reassurance if a woman is able to identify the issue herself and determine that no specific treatment is necessary. Conversely, we also strive to educate women who have received a diagnosis of a serious breast condition, such as breast cancer, and wish to approach their doctor well-informed and prepared.
Treatment
The treatment for breast cancer should immediately include a discussion about reconstruction. Our foundation has no greater goal than to raise awareness of this among patients and oncological surgeons. By making an informed decision beforehand, we avoid closing off options for later reconstruction while still considering the oncological aspect. Of course, survival is paramount, and the decision of the oncologic surgeon will always take precedence.
The "Reconstruction or not?" page contains all the information you can expect during an initial consultation before undergoing tumor removal. This page is comprehensive, and your plastic surgeon will only provide information relevant to your situation.
"Removing the tumor" details the surgical procedure itself. This is the most crucial operation because effective tumor removal remains paramount. We guide you through the various methods of removal, a decision often made by a multidisciplinary team comprising oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, radiotherapists, breast nurses, gynecologists, oncological surgeons, and plastic surgeons.
The "Breast Reconstruction" section includes information and illustrations of the different reconstruction options along with corresponding steps.
Revalidation
Those treated for cancer often need a long period to recover.
Cancer is a radical illness with a heavy treatment. Often, people have to deal with psychosocial and/or physical problems afterwards, such as stress, anxiety, extreme fatigue, painful joints, reduced fitness, lymphedema... This can have a major impact on general well-being.
There are rehabilitation programmes offered by most hospitals. We cover some of the major topics here.
Quality of life
Quality of life is a key factor in coping with breast cancer. Therefore, it is important to find coping mechanisms that work, which will be different from patient to patient. For some, it may be finding enjoyment in activities they engaged in prior to diagnosis, taking time for appreciating life and expressing gratitude, volunteering, physical exercise... Of prime importance, studies have shown that accepting the disease as a part of one’s life is a key to effective coping, as well as focusing on mental strength to allow the patient to move on with life. In this section we are addressing some topics that patients experience during and after treatment and we are providing information to address them.
The Decision Making Tree
Patients with breast cancer need standard information regarding treatment options, both about their oncological treatments and about breast reconstruction in general. Every breast cancer patient has the right to be informed about her reconstructive options before ablative surgery starts and every patient is entitled to the best standard of care.
There are a large number of factors that influence the decision making process with regards to the oncological treatment. These decisions have important consequences for the choices in breast reconstructive techniques. Also the opposite is true: the availability (or absence) of the full range of reconstructive possibilities may influence the choice of ablative method. For example, if immediate total breast reconstruction can be offered, a patient might be faced with a choice between treatment option one: breast conservative therapy, radiotherapy and partial breast reconstruction and treatment option two: a skin-sparing mastectomy combined with an immediate full breast reconstruction and no radiotherapy. Although the oncological status determines the choice of treatments offered and the above combination of treatment options is not available for all breast cancer patients, the example illustrates that the availability of breast reconstruction offered by plastic surgery in the early days of diagnosis can influence choices and widen opportunities.
Many of the factors influencing oncological treatments and reconstructive options cannot be standardized and require a personalized evaluation of every single case by a team of specialists related to a breast clinic. Indeed, there are many factors that can be standardized: for a certain stage of the tumor and a certain morphology of the breast there is a certain number of treatment options that should be offered to any patient.
The Beautiful ABC Foundation is developing a logical online algorithm or decision tree that women who have just been diagnosed with breast cancer can consult. In contrast to existing oncological decision making sites as Adjuvant! Online (www.adjuvantonline.com) and risk calculation tools as organised by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool), we are creating an algorithm for the options in breast reconstruction related to a specific tumor stage and breast size.
The result of such a process would be to provide each patient with one or more reconstructive options with regard to the ablative surgery and the postoperatively scheduled adjuvant treatment. These would just be suggestions with no formal character. The intention is to inform and to involve patients more actively in the decision making process. There is certainly no intention to corner the treating team.
The Decision Tree will be divided into 2 parts:
- Oncological treatment
- Reconstructive Treatment
The Reconstructive Treatment Decision Tree will allow a visual representation of the patient (avatar) and of the scars for each reconstructive option, with further referral to the section “medical facts”, explaining the surgery more in detail.
Applications for the Beautiful A.B.C. Scholarship
The Beautiful ABC Foundation offers a scholarship of 5.000 euros to a person with the qualifications mentioned above to work on the project and have it functioning on the website within a maximum period of 6 months.
Applications should be done online uploading a motivation letter, your CV with picture and 1 or 2 letters of reference.
