Think pink: MAPFRE joins the fight against breast cancer

• Screening is a crucial preventive measure and, even during the pandemic, prevention is still essential.
• Breast cancer also affects men, although less frequently.

The International Day against Breast Cancer is celebrated on October 19 and MAPFRE is once again joining this cause, with various awareness-raising activities, at a time when some people are not going to their screenings due to the effects of COVID-19. These screenings—including regular mammograms and self-examinations—are critical for early detection of this disease. In Spain, breast cancer affects one in every eight women throughout their lives and it is the second most common type of cancer, according to data from the AECC (Asociación Española de lucha Contra el Cáncer — the Spanish Association Against Cancer). In 2019 alone, more than 33,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in Spain.

During the harshest months of the pandemic, many people stopped going to the hospital for routine screenings due to fear of COVID-19 and the challenge faced by health services. Detecting breast cancer in the early stages of the disease is essential to treating it and improving the quality of life of people who suffer from it. In fact, according to the AECC, the five-year survival rate for this type of cancer is more than 90 percent. This means that nine out of ten people are alive five years after diagnosis of the disease. That’s why even this year, despite the pandemic, it is still advisable to go to these screenings.

Furthermore, MAPFRE, through its global information campaign being conducted among employees, is also focusing on men this year. Breast cancer does not only affect women. It is also a disease that can inflict men, although it is much less common than in women: only one percent of breast cancer diagnoses are among men. Significantly, between 15 and 20 percent of men with this type of cancer have a family history of the disease, according to the AECC. That is why prevention in men is also key in the fight against breast cancer.

Through its health insurance, MAPFRE offers special preventive medical services to diagnose breast diseases early.

The color pink has already become a symbol of the fight against breast cancer and MAPFRE is joining this cause again by adding pink to its corporate website and profiles across social networks. In addition, the company regularly collaborates with the AECC in its fight against this disease.

These awareness, information and prevention initiatives are part of the MAPFRE Healthy company corporate model, which aims to improve the health and well-being of its employees and their families.

Raising awareness about breast cancer and the importance of early diagnosis is something that needs to be done every day, not only on October 19, the International Day against Breast Cancer.

In this video, https://youtu.be/75UDzSc25ew MAPFRE employees share their own experience and how they faced their fight against breast cancer.