There are truths you don't read on a prescription. They whisper beneath the skin, in a subtle tension, an unusual warmth, a different texture. The body always speaks before words, and often long before fear. Breast cancer is a reality that affects one in eight women during their lifetime. Invisible in daily life, it often creeps in silently, yet it leaves deep scars. But understanding is already the first step to taking action. It is the most common cancer in women. But to say it so coldly is to forget what it truly means: the encounter between a stray cell and a body that resists. It's a story of imbalance, of memory, of inner rhythm. A story of life, not just of illness.
WHAT IS CANCER, FINALLY?
Cancer is a disease characterized by the progressive transformation of normal cells into abnormal cells capable of uncontrolled proliferation, evading the regulatory mechanisms of cell growth and death, invading neighboring tissues, and spreading to distant sites through metastasis. This transformation results from an accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations that disrupt the signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Tumor cells thus acquire several properties known as "fundamental characteristics of cancer" : sustained proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, replicative immortality, the ability to induce angiogenesis, invasion and metastatic dissemination, genomic instability, and chronic inflammation that promotes tumor development. In addition, dysregulation of energy metabolism and evasion of the immune system allow cancer cells to survive and grow in their microenvironment. These mechanisms, common to most human cancers, explain the biological complexity and clinical diversity observed in tumors, particularly breast tumors.
PINK OCTOBER, HALF THE SKY, HALF SCIENCE
Pink October shines a spotlight on breast cancer awareness each year. Beyond the ribbons and slogans, it reveals another, quieter reality: the place of women in medical research. Behind the laboratories and clinical trials lies a persistent imbalance. In 2023, women represented on average only 41% of participants in studies conducted in the United States, while they constitute 51% of the world's population . This seemingly technical figure speaks volumes: it highlights the gap between what science observes and what women experience. This glaring imbalance has concrete, and inevitably serious, consequences for their health.
THE FEMALE BODY, LONG PLACED IN PARENTHESES
For decades, biomedical research was built on a single, unfortunately predicated model: the male body. Until the 1990s, women were excluded from clinical trials , deemed too variable due to their hormonal cycles. The unpredictable and complex female body disrupted the established methodology. Today, more than ever, some studies are surprising in their approach. Rather than focusing on pain, infertility, or chronic fatigue, some are examining the impact of endometriosis on couples , or even how this disease alters perceptions of attraction. As if the suffering body must first be evaluated through the eyes of the other. This research, sometimes unintentionally, reveals how much femininity continues to be observed from the outside. And yet, the real question is not what this disease does to men, but rather what it does to women: how they inhabit their bodies, their pain, their time. Putting women back at the center would mean giving science its rightful direction: that of care, not of observation.
So, the medications, dosages, protocols, and so-called typical symptoms were calibrated for men. A medicine described as neutral, but which ultimately never was.
Beneath this veneer of universality, half of humanity has been erased, rendered invisible in statistics as well as in suffering.
NEUTRALITY THAT BREAKS THE BALANCE
Research remains uneven. An analysis of over 11,000 scientific articles showed that sex or gender was taken into account in only 6% of cases . The figures speak for themselves: in cardiovascular diseases, for example, women are underdiagnosed because their symptoms differ from the male pattern. This structural bias is not simply a matter of statistical oversights; it costs years of life and health. It results in unrecognized pain, inappropriate treatments, and missed diagnoses.
DISEASES THAT ARE WAITING TO BE BELIEVE
We know better than anyone that some women's health conditions are lived in the shadows, sometimes for years. For endometriosis, it takes an average of 7 to 10 years to get a clear diagnosis. And when treatment finally arrives, it often comes with another risk, since women are twice as likely to experience serious side effects from medications and birth control pills. Because all too often, their pain is minimized. Because they are told they are exaggerating. Because a medical system that claims to be neutral remains focused on a single body, a single rhythm, a single perspective.
A SCIENCE TO REBUILD, TO LISTEN TO
Things are changing, slowly but surely. Programs like the Women's Health Research Plan aim to correct these biases at their source. Since 2023, the European Commission has mandated that studies analyze data according to sex and gender. This is an important step, but it's only the beginning. Parity in trials won't be enough if committees remain homogeneous, if funding doesn't keep pace, and if female researchers aren't given a voice in decision-making. To heal differently, we must first listen differently.
FOR A MEDICINE THAT LOOKES AT THE WHOLE SKY
A fairer healthcare system is not a militant dream, it is a vital necessity. It benefits not only women, but also refines our understanding of all living beings. Understanding biological, hormonal, and emotional differences leads to a better understanding of humanity.
Pink October, ultimately, isn't just about screening and prevention. It's about balance. About the need to reintegrate into science what women's bodies have always whispered.
THE FEMALE BODY, THIS SILENT INTELLIGENCE
The breast is not just an organ: it is a place of connection, memory and warmth. It nourishes, it protects, it reacts to joy, stress, lack of sleep, and sometimes even to a lack of love.
Its glandular tissue is alive, sensitive to hormones, you know those subtle messengers that orchestrate the cycle, fertility, sleep, skin, energy.
When the body receives too many conflicting signals—too much estrogen, too much stress, too many toxins, or not enough rest—communication breaks down. Disoriented cells forget their function and multiply uncontrollably. This is how disorder arises, sometimes silent for months. But the body's intelligence remains. It sends us signs, so subtle they often go unnoticed: a firmer area, a different sensation when touched, a nipple that changes direction, a clear or pinkish discharge. Learning to examine yourself once a month is to reconnect with this forgotten language. Not to hunt down fear, but to listen. In the shower, lying down, simply place your hand, breathe, feel. The gesture becomes ritualistic, intimate, familiar. It reconnects a woman to her own rhythm. The following pages reveal more…
SCIENCE THAT SEEKS, THE BODY THAT KNOWS
Breast cancer is not inevitable, but neither is it a single, predictable story. There are many faces to this disease: Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2+, triple negative. These are all biological trajectories that research is trying to understand. Treatments are becoming more refined, strategies more personalized, and yet, the body remains more complex than protocols. Modern medicine is progressing, but it doesn't have all the answers. It relies on images, X-rays, and tests: powerful but invasive tools. Mammography, the perfect example, remains a cornerstone of screening, even if it raises questions. It relies on radiation, the very same waves that we are supposed to monitor with caution. This is the paradox of a science that heals by causing some harm, that illuminates but can also burn. Behind the technical terms and figures, one truth remains: no technology will replace listening to the body, its memory, its silent intelligence. Understanding breast cancer means first and foremost recognizing the limits of knowledge and giving every woman the right to choose, to be informed, to feel what is right for her.
INVISIBLE ROOTS: GENETICS, ENVIRONMENT, EMOTIONS
Yes, certain genetic mutations (BRCA1, BRCA2) increase the risk. However, they only account for about 5 to 10% of cases. The rest, the vast majority, is linked to a mosaic of factors such as diet, sleep, stress, hormonal exposure, and the environment. We know that the body is permeable to everything: to light, to food, to fatigue, to joy. Again, the body doesn't need perfection, only to be listened to.
Postmenopausal weight gain, a sedentary lifestyle, alcohol, hormone replacement therapy, vitamin D deficiency, and endocrine disruptors all disrupt hormonal balance. However, these factors are not insurmountable; they are opportunities for action. Moving, getting fresh air, cooking with raw ingredients, breathing deeply, and sleeping at regular times—each of these actions is a form of prevention.
Emotions, too, have their biological imprint. Repressed anger, chronic fear, and hyper-control activate cortisol and disrupt hormonal cycles. Learning to let go, to say no, to cry, to rest, is a medical act just like a treatment.
WHEN CHINESE MEDICINE WHISPERS TO MODERN MEDICINE
In some traditions, another interpretation of the body is proposed… In traditional Chinese medicine, the breast is linked to the liver, heart and kidney.
The liver circulates energy and blood; when it stagnates, the breasts become tense, swollen, and painful before menstruation. The kidneys govern deep vitality and hormones.
The heart houses the Shen, the spirit. When it is calm, Qi flows freely. A liver blockage, a kidney deficiency, heart heat… these imbalances manifest as tension, nodules, fatigue, and unexplained sadness. Women are therefore encouraged to reconnect with movement: qigong, do-in, circular breast massage, breathing at the Renmai 17 point, located in the center of the sternum, or simply mindful walking. These practices do not cure on their own, but they are supportive.
They restore the flow of life, and as you know, life itself is care. These simple gestures are not mystical: they remind the body that it is alive and that it can still dance.
BACK TO LISTENING
Prevention, then, is not about living in fear. It's about choosing presence: the presence of the body, of breath, of rhythm, of simple pleasure. As we mentioned earlier, feeling oneself, observing oneself, listening to oneself: these are all acts of love as well as vigilance.
Because before screening, before numbers, before words, there is this silent truth: the body knows. But we must let it speak. It's always the same question…
What if true prevention started there: in the hand placed on the skin, in the attention given to the breast, in the courage to feel alive, a little more each day?
SIGNAL AWARDS TO (RE)RECOGNIZE
Some signs do not always indicate cancer, but they still warrant medical attention:
· a hard, fixed lump, painless to the touch;
· nipple retraction or a nipple that becomes deformed ;
· a clear, yellowish or bloody discharge ;
· localized redness , thickened skin or an "orange peel" appearance ;
· a new asymmetry or a change in the shape of the breast ;
· a swelling under the armpit .
The nipple, in particular, is a valuable messenger. If it suddenly flattens, becomes indented, irritated, or leaks for no apparent reason, it's a good sign to consult a doctor. The breast itself is never the same from one day to the next, but it doesn't lie: when something truly changes, it consistently reveals it.
THE ACT OF CARE: FEELING YOURSELF TO LISTEN TO YOURSELF
Let's elaborate. One of the most beautiful gestures a woman can make for herself is this: to consciously place her hand on her breast. Not to search, but to know. Not out of fear, but out of love. Breast self-examination should be practiced once a month , a few days after menstruation, when the breasts are calm. First, in front of a mirror, simply observe. The shape, the color, the skin, the nipples. A slight indentation, redness, a new dimple, an asymmetry, unusual tension—all of this is a language.
Then, lying down with your arm raised and three fingers flat, gently explore your breast in slow circles, from the nipple outwards. Don't press; listen to the texture, the density, the continuity. A firmer area, a new sensation, a swollen lymph node under the armpit: these are all signs that should be checked.
HEALING MEANS RECONNECTING
Breast cancer treatments today are undeniably precise.
Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy: each approach specifically targets a precise stage of the process. However, care doesn't stop at the tumor. It continues in the gaze, the skin, the breath. Each tool has its place, its role, its power. But beyond the protocol, there is reconstruction. Healing is also about re-inhabiting one's body. Learning to love a scar, to feel one's skin regenerate, to make peace with what has changed. Femininity doesn't disappear: it transforms. The breast, whether reconstructed or different, remains a symbol of life, gentleness, and courage.
The body changes, sometimes transforms. Femininity, however, does not disappear: it is redefined. Scars become lines of strength. Hair that grows back, breasts that are reborn, tell a story of courage, resilience, and new beginnings.
Supporting the body after cancer means enveloping it in softness: wearing healthy, natural, breathable, toxin-free fabrics. A material can support a woman through each of her transformations.
The body never forgets how to heal.
He's simply waiting for us to come back to him.