Nothing about us without us. The coalition “Together for Women’s Health” was created.

Recently, the coalition “Together for Women’s Health” was announced, which initially decided to improve the situation of Polish women with breast cancer. What is the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this cancer in Poland?

The idea of ​​creating a coalition has been around for a long time and is the result of cooperation with patient organizations that has been going on for several years. I’m glad this project has finally come to fruition. I have never acted alone, so I am honored that I started this initiative together with patient organizations: the OnkoCafe Foundation - Better Together, the Polish Association of Amazonki Ruch Społeczny and the OmeaLife Foundation. I think my 30 years of experience at the Farmacja Polska Chamber of Commerce and Industry came in handy here, which allowed me to learn about both the advantages and disadvantages of our actions in the prevention of breast cancer. And here I must admit that the situation of breast cancer patients in Poland is not very good, and the increase in the number of cases in the age group of 22-44 years is especially alarming. No less frightening is the rising death rate from breast cancer - Poland is the only country in Europe in this respect. We are also seeing a sharp increase in the incidence of cervical cancer, as well as an increase in mortality from this cause.

In oncology, tremendous progress has been made in the field of diagnosis and treatment. This is no different from breast cancer. So why is Poland the only country in Europe where deaths from this cause are on the rise?

This is very surprising, because a lot of good things have happened in this area in Poland - comprehensive treatment centers are being created, drug programs are getting better and better, and Polish doctors are excellent specialists with extensive knowledge. However, as you know, in order to obtain a good therapeutic effect, it is necessary to start treatment in a timely manner.

We have entered the era of personalized medicine; In order for every patient to be able to benefit from this, appropriate diagnosis at the earliest possible stage is essential. We need to ensure the consistent and rapid availability of cutting-edge, revolutionary treatments that are beginning to change the picture of breast cancer, both early and advanced.

Prevention is also important - and here, unfortunately, we still have a lot to do. Polish women are still postponing a visit to a specialist. Why? Firstly, these are psychological barriers, such as fear of a bad result, and secondly, ignorance. Some ladies say: “At our age, this is not necessary.” There are also systemic barriers, such as the lack of reliable information from the doctor, too much distance from the place where tests can be carried out, lack of deadlines, ignorance of where tests can be carried out.

For several years, numerous social actions and events of patient organizations have been carried out to encourage preventive examinations and identify the most urgent needs in the field of breast cancer treatment. So where did the idea to create a coalition come from?

Each patient organization with which we form a coalition has many years of experience. We decided to join forces to find out each other’s point of view and start speaking with one voice. Every organization is involved in social campaigns, but we need further systemic solutions. By integrating and discussing the following communities: clinicians, parliamentarians, media representatives, stakeholders, together with representatives of patient organizations, we want to develop solutions that take into account all the most pressing needs. Only by joining forces, we can offer even better complex changes.

What are the immediate goals of the coalition?

First of all, we set ourselves the goal of developing recommendations for changes in selected areas related to breast cancer. We will discuss diagnostics, treatment, prevention and education in a wide group of experts during meetings, and we will share the conclusions and proposals for improving the system that will affect the fate of patients with people responsible for the healthcare system. We already have early ideas, such as automatic mammogram referrals available in the IKP system, as is the case with COVID-19 vaccinations. We want our recommendations to be practical and quickly implemented. We look forward to cooperation between departments. Therefore, it will be extremely important for us to convince decision makers of our requirements. I hope that Poland, as stated by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, will become the country that best treats breast cancer. And not just breast cancer, although this seems to be the most pressing cancer we should all be focusing on. European estimates show that mortality from breast cancer in Poland will continue to rise - from 2020 to 2040 it could increase by more than 30%. I must say: all hands on deck, for the health and life of women.

We will also keep an eye on who needs to realize all these goals, and also watch who can interfere with this. Our motto is “Nothing about us without us”.

Barbara Koreva said

Hope for better organization and treatment

Anna Kupetskaya, President of the OncoCafe Foundation - Better Together

The Together for Women’s Health Coalition is a coalition of patient organizations involved in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. The basis for its creation and work was our experience in supporting cancer patients. They showed us that although in Poland the costs of oncological treatment are getting better and better, the situation of patients is not improving significantly. Therefore, in order to really improve the situation of patients, it is necessary to introduce new organizational initiatives that will influence the fate of patients. For this purpose, several centers for comprehensive care for patients with breast cancer, the so-called. Breast cancer departments that set and implement comprehensive patient care standards. Work is also underway on the National Cancer Network, which we hope will shape and standardize this pathway in smaller cancer centers as well.

The Ministry of Health has recently provided us with many modern treatments, for which we are grateful, especially to Minister Maciej Milkowski. However, it turned out that modern methods of treatment do not meet all the needs of patients. Data presented by clinicians show that mortality among breast cancer patients is increasing, women are more likely to see a doctor with too advanced a form of cancer. Data from the implementation of the breast cancer screening program shows that the results of reporting these tests in our country are at the level of about 40%, which is an average indicator, but there are communes where only 5% use these opportunities. women. Maybe it is worth more actively involving women in research, maybe it is worth involving primary care physicians in this work?

We have impressive data on women dying of breast cancer in the 40-44 age group; it is the leading cause of death for women of working age. We are far behind European countries, where the rate of breast cancer screening programs is 92-95%. In many EU countries, the 5-year survival rate for women with breast cancer is 88%, while in Poland it is only 77%.

We must change this. We analyze the situation related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. We talk about the biggest challenges associated with this cancer from the perspective of patients and experts, and then draw conclusions and offer solutions that benefit all of us. We want to signal to decision makers the direction of the necessary changes that we believe should be made to make a real difference to patients. I mean the organizational changes as well as the mental changes associated with public awareness of the problems associated with this cancer.

Every day there are new research results and analyzes of the effectiveness of modern drugs, so if we want to treat patients in Poland in accordance with world standards, we must follow them. Our activities are aimed at the benefit of many Polish women, their health and life. Currently, reimbursement for the most effective drug trastuzumab deruxtecan is a great hope for patients. Access to this innovative therapy will significantly improve the situation of Polish women and will have a real impact on the outcomes of breast cancer treatment, as well as the life expectancy of patients.

Barbara Jagas