A nurse who noticed a lump in her breast early was cured of cancer with treatment.

When Mediha Peker, a 38-year-old mother of two and an operating room nurse at Atatürk University Research Hospital, noticed a lump in her breast last October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she immediately consulted Prof. Dr. Müfide Nuran Akçay, a faculty member in the Department of General Surgery at Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine.

Peker, whose tests revealed that she had early-stage breast cancer, underwent chemotherapy for a while.

Peker, who later had her breasts removed and a prosthetic breast implanted in a successful surgery performed by Prof. Dr. Akçay and his team, is happy to be cured of breast cancer, which she discovered at an early stage, through early diagnosis.

Nurse Peker told an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter that she noticed a lump while checking her breasts during Breast Cancer Awareness Month last year and immediately consulted Prof. Dr. Akçay.

Peker, who stated that he encountered cancer at an early stage in his examinations, said:

"I don't want to call it a mass; it was a guest to me; it came and went. After the PET scan, we learned that the disease was in the early stages; it hadn't spread far into the armpit. I received great support from my professor, Dr. Mehmet Bilici, and all the doctors and colleagues at the hospital during my chemotherapy. Of course, I had a difficult time with my father's sudden death and the unknown, but I never lost hope. I'm from Malatya, and my wife is from Kahramanmaraş, and we were very saddened by the earthquake. I think this is why I experienced this. There wasn't a genetic predisposition, but my greatest asset was being able to examine myself."

Peker thanked Prof. Dr. Akçay and plastic surgeon Mehmet Korkut for their support during the surgery, and explained that the doctors treated her like a patient undergoing plastic surgery, not like a cancer patient.

Peker, who stated that she's looking forward to returning to work, said, "Early diagnosis is a key in this fight, and we need to take full advantage of this. Women need to be aware of their bodies, investigate the cause of any changes, and see a doctor as soon as possible. Atatürk University is very good at this. I experienced a different version of what Angelina Jolie experienced. I had both breasts removed and replaced with implants. I'm healthier now. The doctors are very professional. No one should be afraid of biopsies, or believe hearsay, or trust the doctor."

Breast and endocrine surgeon Prof. Dr. Akçay also stated that breast cancer accounts for 30 percent of cancers in women, and that one in every eight women today is diagnosed with this disease.

Emphasizing that it is possible to get rid of this disease with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, Akçay said:

Thanks to her attentiveness, our nurse diagnosed the condition early by examining her own breasts and listening to her doctors. She is doing well; she will continue her normal life, taking medications, and returning to work. She first received chemotherapy because she had suspicious lymph nodes in her armpit. Later, she had the disease in one breast, and when suspicious areas were also seen in the other, we removed both breasts and replaced them with implants. Women from the age of 20 should examine their breasts and should definitely see a doctor if they detect a lump.