Hardly anyone knew that Tatjana Patitz had breast cancer

German model Tatjana Patitz died of breast cancer at the age of 56 in her adopted home of California. It is not known how long she had been fighting the serious illness. Hardly anyone knew about her cancer. Unlike many other prominent women, she had never made her affliction public. The former supermodel has been very reclusive and hasn’t shown much of her private life on Instagram. In the fall of the previous year, she appeared in public – her 19-year-old son Johna was always by her side.

Breeds well if caught early

In Austria, every eighth woman will develop breast cancer in the course of her life. In Upper Austria alone, this diagnosis is made around 900 times a year, and the trend is rising. Cancer Aid Upper Austria President Martin Burian cites better diagnostic methods and increasing life expectancy as reasons for this. “The older we get, the higher the probability of developing cancer.”
In general, breast cancer is now considered “easily treatable and curable”. If detected and treated early, many breast cancers can be cured. After all, around 87 percent of patients in Austria are still alive five years after diagnosis.

In 20 to 30 percent of patients with early breast cancer, the disease recurs – sometimes after many years – and forms metastases. Thanks to new treatment methods, it is possible to lead a longer life with a largely good quality of life despite an advanced stage of the disease. The best method for early detection is mammography, i.e. an X-ray examination of the breast, which detects small tumors that cannot be felt during the monthly self-examination. From the age of 40, women should have a mammogram every two years, which is often supplemented by an ultrasound examination of the breast.

Tatyana Patitz

Born in Hamburg, Tatjana Patitz was one of the most successful supermodels of the 80s and 90s, along with Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. She graced the covers of numerous major fashion magazines. In recent years she has lived in seclusion on a farm in the USA and has been an animal and nature conservation activist.

In 2022 she returned to the public with a major campaign for the German label Comma. In October she came to Berlin for the “Tribute to Bambi” charity gala – it was to be her last major appearance. She is survived by a son, her sister and her parents, according to her agent’s statement.

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Barbara Rohrhofer

Editor-in-Chief Life and Health

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