The diagnostic and therapeutic approach to breast cancer has changed dramatically in recent years and is very effective.

To each woman separately, depending on her age, her family history, the density of her breasts, her individual history, a personalized program of breast imaging examinations is proposed. Risk assessment tools such as Tyrer Cuzick, BCSC, Bodicea/CANRISK, Gail, combined with the Polygenic risk score, which predict the risk of breast cancer, are in the physicians’ quiver to lead to personalized screening recommendations.

Our goal is with the appropriate, personalized and modern imaging control to have a timely and valid diagnosis, so that by subsequently treating breast cancer with modern therapeutic techniques, we can lead to an effective treatment for the woman.

It is now proven that women treated in Specialized Breast Centers have a better prognosis. At the Breast Centers, women are treated by a team of doctors of various specialties, specialized in the management of patients with breast diseases, who work together to provide better services. In an organized Breast Center, there are services of Prevention – Screening, Genetic counseling, Treatment of early and metastatic breast cancer, Supportive treatments, Psychological support, Treatment Protocols, Data Management Protocols, Oncology Council, Research Protocols and of course quality control of services provided .

The need to create Specialized Breast Centers in the European Union was recognized 21 years ago, with a resolution of the European Parliament in June 2003, establishing the right for every woman in the European Union regardless of her place of residence, social status, employment, or of her educational level, to have access to excellent quality prevention, treatment and follow-up for breast cancer, asking member states to create specialized breast units for every 300,000 population by 2006.

In Greece in 2024 we have Specialized Breast Centers, of course not enough, some steps have been taken, mainly in terms of screening, but there is still a lot to be done in order to reduce inequalities in access to services, an issue that is of particular concern to the European Committee, as well as to establish the need to control the quality of the provision of health services related to the treatment of breast cancer.

In Greece, data from Eurostat from 2013 and 2018, highlight the paradox, that while we have the largest number of mammographers per 100,000 population among all countries in Europe, the centers that offer breast imaging examinations are often, if not usually, disconnected from Specialized Breast Centers, as a result of which tests are performed sporadically in different centers and the possibility of continuity of diagnostic imaging and diagnosis is often lost.

Screening should be carried out with an organized system and with the quality control of service delivery. Publication from the European Commission highlights that an organized system is more effective than sporadic and unorganized screening.
The evaluation of the quality of service provision – quality assurance – is necessary. According to the specifications of the European Commission, the European Quality Assurance System requires that service providers from Screening Centers to specialized Breast Centers comply with all applicable requirements. The controls to be implemented include the examination of documents, records and reports, site visits and audits, interaction with patient representatives and monitoring of interdisciplinary meetings, in order to ensure the quality of the services provided.

The care of women with breast diseases must be done by screening in collaboration with Specialized Breast Centers. The quality assurance standards for the provision of services at all stages from diagnosis to treatment, established by the European Commission, must be implemented and controlled in order for all women with breast cancer to have access to high-quality modern diagnostic methods and personalized treatments, so that to benefit from modern scientific developments.

October is dedicated to breast cancer awareness, let’s highlight the importance of prevention and early diagnosis! Take care of your body, because health starts with you!