Information about breast cancer

Approved breast clinics: the best possible care

When faced with breast cancer, you are better off with a doctor who treats at least 50 breast cancers a year than with his colleague who sees at most a few a year. For that reason, it is best to turn to a licensed breast clinic, where breast cancer expertise is pooled.

Everyone wants the best possible care and rightly so. For breast cancer, you can find it at a licensed breast clinic, where doctors and care staff specialize in breast cancer, have extensive experience with the disease and are up to date on the latest treatments and developments. Breast clinics are legally recognized centers of expertise that have doctors, nurses, psychologists and physical therapists who all specialize in breast cancer. Such a breast clinic must treat a minimum number of new breast cancers each year to receive accreditation. Originally, in 2007, there were at least 150 per year, but those standards have since been relaxed, under pressure from other hospitals that also treat breast cancer. So since 2013, so-called coordinating and satellite breast clinics have also been established, where 125 and 60 new cases of breast cancer must be treated each year, respectively. There are other criteria that breast clinics must meet. These have to do with treatment procedures, equipment and reimbursement.

Not required

With breast cancer, you can also go to any other hospital. The care there does not have to be any less good; much depends on the expertise of the care staff present. Still, they usually have less experience with breast cancer than in a recognized breast clinic. Logical, if you also treat many other diseases. Many patients are not aware that there is legal recognition for breast clinics. It is therefore best to check yourself whether the hospital of your choice also has this accreditation and can therefore guarantee the best possible care. It is best to check yourself. You can find the list of all recognized breast clinics on the website of Europa Donna Belgium. At Europa Donna you will also find a map with all breast clinics in Belgium. It allows you to quickly check where the nearest breast clinic is located.

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Treatments
Antihormone therapy
Testimonial

Antihormone therapy: the story of the blip and the bump

Inne was diagnosed with a precursor breast cancer - DCIS ductal carcinoma in situ - when she was 36 in 2015 - what followed was a course of mastectomy and antihormone medication. The antihormone therapy was prescribed because the tumor was hormone sensitive. For five years, Inne had to take one pill a day. Now that 1.5 years have already passed since the end of that therapy, Inne tells her personal story about her treatment and the effects of the antihormone therapy. Inne realizes that the medication maximized her chances for the future and still calls the treatment the story of "the blip and the bump.
Treatments
Breast Clinic

Heilig Hart Hospital Lier launches 'Outpourings,' a podcast for and with breast cancer patients

Heilig Hart Hospital Lier is launching a podcast created with and for (former) breast cancer patients. Under the title "Outpourings," radio host Ann Reymen talks to 6 ladies who have had breast cancer in the recent past or not. Through this podcast, the hospital hopes to provide a forum for all the experiential issues surrounding breast cancer and thus offer support to those who are dealing with it.
Treatments
Move
Move
Actions & projects

Walking improves quality of life after breast cancer

Women who have had breast cancer often struggle with the effects of treatment for a long time. New Belgian research shows that regular exercise and mindfulness improves their quality of life.
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