On the occasion of World Breast Cancer Day, the Clínic Barcelona Comprehensive Cancer Centre (4CB) held an open conference for patients, families, healthcare professionals, and the public. The event, taking place at the Paraninfo of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona and also online, aimed to showcase key advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of the disease, and to give a voice to those living with it.
The conference, coordinated by Drs. Meritxell Mollà and Olga Martínez, brought together professionals from various disciplines involved in breast cancer care. It was structured into sessions focusing on new treatments, patients' quality of life, and the growing role of patient experience in healthcare. Topics covered included advances in medical oncology, radiotherapy, surgery, radiology, and rehabilitation, as well as strategies to improve quality of life during and after treatments.
A notable presentation was the study DIANA-Breastyle, led by the Breast Cancer Unit of Clínic Barcelona. This project analyzes the impact of prehabilitation (physical exercise, nutritional support, and psychological counseling) on breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant treatment before surgery. The innovative hypothesis is to determine if this intervention can enhance chemotherapy effectiveness by measuring Pathological Complete Response (pCR).
Dr. Eduard Mension, a gynecologist leading the study with Dr. Helena Castillo, explained that the goal is to assess whether patients undergoing multimodal prehabilitation achieve a better tumor response. "We don't just want patients to arrive at surgery in better condition; we want to know if we can also improve the tumor's response to chemotherapy," he stated.
This multidisciplinary project involves specialists in medical oncology, radiology, pathological anatomy, molecular biology, surgery, anesthesiology, physiotherapy, nutrition, and psychology. The prehabilitation program is coordinated jointly with the hospital's anesthesiology team. "It's a hundred percent multidisciplinary project. Without the involvement of all these professionals, it would be impossible to carry out," Mension added.
Mercedes, one of the participating patients, shared her very positive experience: "Super positive. I came here feeling terrible, but along the way, with the training, I arrived much better for surgery. I could handle the treatment better and received guidance on body care, but also mental care, which in this process is almost harder to manage than the body." Inspired by her participation, she has founded the group "Diana te cuida" to support other women.
The study is currently in the recruitment phase, having enrolled over half of the planned patients. The team expects to have an initial interim analysis during 2026 and final results around 2028. If the findings confirm the hypothesis, prehabilitation could become a consolidated complementary tool for optimizing oncological treatment outcomes. The study was made possible by a grant from La Marató de 3Cat and an Emili Letang postdoctoral grant.
