Breast Cancer Awareness Month event promotes awareness about breast cancer prevention in Içara

The square at the Matriz Church in Içara hosted an event on the morning of this Saturday (October 3rd) in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a campaign dedicated to raising awareness about the prevention and early diagnosis of breast cancer and cervical cancer. The activity started at 9 AM and ended at noon, increasing public access to information and encouraging health care practices.

The initiative was promoted by the Women's Cancer Combat Network of Içara (RFCC Içara), in partnership with the Friends of the Breast Association of Içara (AMPI), the Municipal Health Department, and the Extension, Culture, and Community Action Department of Unesc.

During the event, the public had access to information related to prevention and women's health care, as well as guidance from professionals and students.

Unesc participated in the event with the Integrated Care and Rehabilitation Project in Oncology, Pro-Onco, which develops health education and multiprofessional assistance actions aimed at women diagnosed with cancer, at different stages of cancer treatment, along with students and professors from the Biomedical Science program, who provided the community with guidance on laboratory tests and women's health care.

According to Sheila Martignago Saleh, the director of Extension, Culture, and Community Action at Unesc, the University’s presence in initiatives like this reinforces the role of extension in bridging scientific knowledge and the community.

“This is precisely the role of Extension: to bring scientific knowledge closer to the community, exchange experiences, and contribute to transforming realities. This is how Unesc fulfills its role as a Community University: being where people are, providing information, education, care, and, most importantly, learning and building knowledge together with the community,” she emphasizes.

According to the president of the Women's Cancer Combat Network of Içara Andréa Cristina Pavei Soares, projections from the World Health Organization indicate that breast cancer cases are expected to increase by 38% globally by 2050, with an estimated 68% rise in annual deaths, according to a report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). 

“Breast Cancer Awareness Month is dedicated to drawing the public's attention to the incidence of this type of cancer that has affected so many women. During the event, we talked about prevention, distributed informational brochures, presented the 'Mama Amiga' teaching how to perform self-exams, answered questions from the public, and it was a very productive morning,” she points out.