Brasília – A study by Doctoralia analysed 3,936 questions submitted by women between 2013 and 2025 and found that 90% of inquiries about breast cancer were made after the women had already detected symptoms, rather than during routine preventive care. Among the main topics of concern were diagnosis (44 % of questions), symptoms (32 %), treatment (26 %), and anxiety or fear (25 %).

The research highlighted the words most frequently used in questions—“pain” (29 %), “normal” (23 %), and “nodule” (11.7 %)—underscoring how women often enter the cancer pathway reactive, seeking reassurance or confirmation. Mastologist Thais Businaro noted that detecting a nodule or pain already signals “a phase of alert” and that the ideal scenario is one of early engagement through routine exams such as mammography, not waiting for symptoms to appear.

Source: Medicina S/A

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