How to prevent recurrence and metastasis after breast cancer surgery

  In recent years, the incidence of malignant tumors has been increasing. Among all cancers, the incidence rate of lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer has increased significantly, and the trend is younger. At present, breast cancer has been ranked as the first malignant tumor among women and is called the “first killer” of women. The most important thing that every breast cancer patient fears after surgery is recurrence and metastasis.  So, how to prevent or interrupt the recurrence and metastasis? Is there any good method in Chinese medicine?  1. Timely radiotherapy and chemotherapy after surgery: Surgery can only remove the local tumor, while radiotherapy and chemotherapy can clear the residual cancer cells in one step. Therefore, it is recommended to choose reasonably according to the surgery method, tumor stage, pathological type, lymph node metastasis and tissue receptor status.  2.Take Chinese medicine early: Chinese medicine can be used throughout the treatment of malignant tumor, therefore, for breast cancer patients, Chinese medicine should be taken early. As the original medicine of China, TCM has its unique features in many diseases, and tumor is no exception. It has good efficacy in such aspects as lung cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and thyroid cancer. As we know, the treatment of tumor nowadays has the following treatment methods, namely surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, gamma knife and Chinese medicine. For example, if the tumor can be removed cleanly, surgery is the best means, and on the basis of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, gamma knife and other treatments can be carried out. However, not every kind of tumor can be treated with surgery, for example, patients with multiple metastases have lost the chance of surgery; for example, chemotherapy is a good means to fight against cancer, and many patients have achieved good efficacy through chemotherapy, however, we also know that chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells and also kill good cells in human body, which is why many patients who receive chemotherapy will be nauseous, vomit, and lose hair. This is why many patients undergoing chemotherapy will be nausea, vomiting, hair loss. In the same way, radiotherapy, gamma knife and other treatments also have their own scope of adaptation and are not applicable to all tumor patients. Unlike Chinese medicine, which can be used throughout the whole tumor treatment. For example, Chinese medicine can be taken to benefit qi and replenish blood after surgery (surgery consumes qi and hurts blood), to support and protect stomach during chemotherapy (chemotherapy causes nausea and vomiting), to nourish yin and clear benefits during radiotherapy (radiotherapy causes dry mouth, thirst and other symptoms of qi and yin deficiency), and to support and fight cancer in general.  3.Adherence to treatment: It has been confirmed that the proliferation cycle of cancer cells takes a long time, and a cancer cell must undergo 30 times of repeated multiplication for several years or even more than 10 years to grow into a lump of 1 cm in diameter. Therefore, its treatment should also be long-term, and according to our clinical experience, it is recommended to take Chinese medicine for at least 5 years.  4.Regular follow-up: After the first treatment of breast cancer (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, etc.), there are still very few tumor cells remaining, they are the root cause of recurrence and metastasis, coupled with the low immune function of the body, as well as poor mental and nutritional status and overexertion, it is easy for the tumor to resurface. Recurrence of metastasis often occurs within 5 years after treatment, especially within 2-3 years, and can also occur after 5 years, thus regular follow-up is lifelong. The closer the time to the end of the first treatment, the shorter the interval between follow-ups should be. Usually, the review is done every 3 months for 2 years after surgery. For the next 3 years, review every 6 months. Next, 1 time per year thereafter. The review includes treatment local, contralateral breast, bilateral axillary and supraclavicular lymph nodes, lung, abdomen, and in addition, blood routine, liver function, immune function, CEA, CA-125, CA-153, chest X-ray, contralateral breast radiograph, liver and pelvic ultrasound, etc. For patients with possible metastatic cancer, bone, liver, brain, lung scans, etc. should be done.  The above measures require the intervention of physicians, but the following points can be done by the patients themselves: 1.Rational diet: As the saying goes, “disease comes from the mouth”, many diseases are caused by the lack of attention to diet. Breast cancer patients should pay more attention to their diet and try to eat less “hairy food”. What are the “hairy” foods? Such as mutton, dog meat, pork, goose, pigeon, raw garlic, peach, hot pot, hairy crab, etc. In addition, try to eat less hormone-containing health products and poultry fed with hormones.  As we all know, women are more conscious of their health and rich in emotions. Once they suffer from breast cancer, many female patients have more or less anxiety and depression. For example, fear of breast destruction, fear of death, fear of recurrence, fear of family life, etc., coupled with the negative stimulation of diagnosis, surgery and radiotherapy, may lead to a series of psychological disorders. According to the survey, depression and anxiety symptoms of breast cancer patients are significantly higher than those of other cancers, and at least 25% of post-operative breast cancer patients are depressed, even up to 80%. Because of this, relatives of patients should give the greatest consideration and love to patients, let them distract their attention and speak out the fear, bitterness or loneliness in their minds, so as to eliminate the psychological fear of cancer, lift the psychological pressure, maintain a relaxed, stable, optimistic and cheerful mood, and improve the confidence and joy of patients’ life. This can obviously improve the treatment effect.  3.Strengthen exercise Research shows that long-term physical exercise, especially aerobic exercise, can reduce breast cancer recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, it is important to encourage appropriate physical activities and avoid excessive exercise, so as not to feel tired, such as social dance, square dance, yoga, tai chi, etc.  4. Moderate weight loss In 2003, the New England Journal published a prospective study on the relationship between overweight and obesity and cancer death rate among adults in the United States. From 1982 onwards, more than 900,000 normal people who did not suffer from cancer were followed up for 16 years, resulting in 57,145 deaths from cancer in this population. The analysis showed that mortality rates were 52% (men) and 62% (women) higher in people with a body mass index (body mass index 40 what concept: 1.70m, weight 115.6kg) above 40. Except for lung cancer, almost all common cancers are associated with obesity.