This year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the first Breast Pathology Committee in Spain. The main driving force behind this initiative was the doctor and gynaecologist Alfonso Fernández-Cid, who was part of the medical team at the former Instituto Universitario Dexeus. Dr. Fernández-Cid was also the one who made it possible for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer to be included within the speciality of gynaecology in our country.

The creation of the Committee was a turning point, because it completely changed the concept of breast cancer treatment in our country. ‘Its constitution made it possible to establish agreed treatment strategies and develop uniform protocols for action, which have made it possible to improve survival in breast cancer patients,’ explains Dr. Rafael Fàbregas, Consultant in Gynaecological Oncology and Mastology at Dexeus Mujer.

Currently, the constitution of oncology committees is commonplace in all hospitals and public and private centres. Their existence is an indicative factor of quality care. At national and international level, there are protocols established by Scientific Societies such as the Spanish Society of Senology and Breast Pathology (SESPM) and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) in Spain, and the European Society of Mastology (EUSOMA) and the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO) in the EU. These are advisory bodies and the protocols are for guidance only, not binding.

At Dexeus Mujer, since 27 November 1974, when the first interdisciplinary team met, the Gynecological Oncology and Breast Committee (CGOM) of Dexeus Mujer, which has continued its work, has met uninterruptedly. In 2023 it analysed 1426 cases.