Zacharoula Sidiropoulou, Senior Consultant Breast Surgical Oncologist at Hospital São Francisco Xavier, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Day 2 at 8th ABC Global Alliance Conference
This slide stopped me in my tracks today: Up to 76% of people worldwide believe advanced breast cancer is curable. But,
It isn’t.
As MDs, we face the responsibility to speak truth and nothing else but the truth, with compassion, empathy and simplicity. When we avoid difficult conversations or let misconceptions persist, we deprive from our patients the chance to make informed decisions about their care, their time, and their lives. We deprive them the right to Dignity.
Advanced breast cancer is treatable. It is manageable. Patients can live meaningful lives with quality time. But pretending it’s curable does more harm than hope.
Patients deserve:
- Honest information delivered with empathy
- Realistic expectations alongside genuine hope
- Partnership in decision-making based on facts
- Support through their journey, not false promises
The gap between public perception and medical reality shown in this statistic isn’t just a communication failure, it’s a call to action for all of us.
Let’s commit to truth-telling that honors both the science and the humanity of cancer care.”
ABC8 2025 Day 2 Highlights: From Molecular Frontiers to Quality of Life and Equity in Care
