The earlier breast cancer is detected, the more likely it is to be cured. If you are a middle-aged woman or a young woman, once you notice one or more of the following symptoms, you are in the high-risk group for breast cancer and must take protective measures.
1. Family history of breast cancer, especially if the patient’s mother or sister had breast cancer, or if the patient had premenopausal onset or bilateral breast cancer.
2.Premature menarche and late amenorrhea.
3. Not pregnant at the age of 40 or older or first full-term birth after 35 years old.
4. Those who have had breast cancer on one side and have high risk factors on the opposite breast, especially those with pathological diagnosis of lobular carcinoma in situ or multifocal carcinoma.
5.Pathologically confirmed cystic hyperplasia of the breast, especially those with active ductal epithelial atypical hyperplasia or papillomatous structures.
6, Those who have a history of excessive X-ray chest x-ray or chest radiograph, here it should be especially noted that the annual physical examination chest radiograph or mammogram of the breast.
7, Those who have suffered from functional uterine bleeding or adenocarcinoma of the uterine body.
8, Obese patients, especially those who are significantly obese after menopause or with diabetes.
9.Patients who use exogenous estrogen in large quantities for a long time.
10.Patients with bad lifestyle habits, such as smoking, drinking, staying up late.
11, women with multiple abortions, or women with chaotic sex life or long-term sexual disharmony.
12.People with great psychological pressure or obvious great trauma.
Women who meet the above mentioned high risk factors of breast cancer will have increased risk of breast cancer. The following 12 signs may be the early symptoms of breast cancer, if you find the following abnormalities, you should go to the specialist for further examination in time.
1. Thick lumps: Sudden thickening of breast tissue may be a serious underlying condition such as lobular carcinoma in situ or inflammatory breast cancer.
2.Depression: Some people may notice sagging or depression of the breast, which is caused by the cancer cells being “bolted” by the breast tissue and therefore pushing inward.
3. Skin ulceration: Very few cases of breast cancer are under the skin, which can cause skin breakage or wounds.
4.Heat or redness: If the breast feels hot or 1/3 of it is red, it may be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer.
5. New discharge: The side of the nipple will automatically secrete fluid, which may be blood stained, brown or clear, meaning that something in the breast is causing irritation.
6. Plaques: Skin pits and scars or unevenness and wrinkles are common symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer.
7. Bumpy lump: When there is a localized lump, bump or bulge on the breast, you should seek medical examination.
8. Varicose veins: This may be a sign of cancer cells blocking blood vessels.
9.Increased nipple: It may be a hard lump behind the nipple causing nipple indentation.
10.Change in shape or size: Any change in the shape or size of the breast that is not related to the physiological period should be checked.
11.Orange peel skin: When the skin appears like orange peel pits, it may be caused by the accumulation of body fluid in the breast tissue.
12.Lumps invisible to the naked eye: Even though there are many other symptoms, the key is to always check yourself for hard lumps in the breast.
How to choose the breast cancer screening model in China?
After continuous exploration and improvement of breast cancer screening, countries such as Europe and the United States have established a relatively complete breast cancer screening system, which includes policies and regulations, screening methods, applicable population and corresponding technical specifications. However, the choice of breast cancer screening mode has been the focus of discussion among experts and scholars.
It is understood that the European Clinical Oncology Association believes that there is insufficient evidence to prove that breast screening is beneficial for women aged 40-49 years, and that women aged 50-69 years can undergo mammography screening every 2 years. The American Preventive Medicine Task Force, on the other hand, suggests that screening is no longer routinely performed at ages 40-49, and screening is recommended once every 2 years at ages 50-74.
The American Cancer Society, on the other hand, believes that opportunistic screening is recommended for women aged 40-44 years, routine annual screening mammography should be performed for women aged 45-54 years, and screening can be performed every 2 years for those aged 55 years and older. the WTO World Health Organization’s view is that screening mammography at age 40-49 years has a limited role in reducing breast cancer deaths. screening mammography for women aged 50-69 years The benefits outweigh the risks. MRI and ultrasound can be used as a supplement to breast cancer screening in high-risk groups.
The age of high incidence of breast cancer in Chinese women is about 10 years ahead of western countries, with relatively more dense breasts and relatively smaller breasts, which affects the sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of mammography screening to some extent. While breast cancer screening guidelines are internationally divergent, how to choose breast cancer screening modalities in China?
At present, there are two means of breast cancer screening. The first one is breast self-examination, which can raise women’s awareness of cancer prevention. Premenopausal women should be recommended to choose 7-10 days after their menstrual period for self-examination. However, this kind of self-examination is not yet scientific, and it is easy to misdiagnose or miss the diagnosis, which cannot improve the prevention rate and reduce the mortality rate. The second type is mammography, which has poor penetration to young dense breast tissue and is generally used for screening breast cancer in women over 40 years old. However, another disadvantage of mammograms is that they are radioactive, so they should not be performed frequently.
Women between the ages of 20-40 should have a breast self-examination within a week after their monthly period, and a clinical examination or mammography by a medical professional every 2 years. For women aged 40-49, in addition to regular monthly breast self-examinations, it is better to have a professional mammogram once a year; for women aged 50-74, an annual mammogram is recommended; for women aged 75 and above, the body functions are declining, so it is recommended on a case-by-case basis and it is preferred not to have a routine screening.
Although it is good to detect breast cancer at an earlier stage, it can be prevented and treated earlier, but for a young girl in her 20s, who has not yet started a family and married, it will have an indelible impact on her life. If the lump is detected early, it may cause overdiagnosis and overtreatment, which may cause more harm than good.
You can do more breast self-examinations by placing your hand flat and touching your left breast counterclockwise with your right hand, and vice versa, and touching your right breast counterclockwise with your left hand to sense the presence of lumps with your fingertips.
In addition to the habit of regular breast examination, you should also pay attention to a reasonable diet and proper exercise. Therefore, it is especially important to have regular breast examination in regular hospitals.
In daily life, regardless of whether there is pain in the breast, whether a lump can be felt, or whether there is hyperplasia in the breast, women should have regular and complete breast examinations and actively participate in breast cancer screening to prevent problems before they occur.
Obesity and weight gain may lead to breast cancer, and high-fat and high-calorie foods such as meat and animal fats may increase the risk of breast cancer. For some “high-risk groups”, such as women with family history, not having children or breastfeeding, or other breast diseases, regular mammograms should be performed after the age of 35 according to the doctor’s recommendation; it is recommended that women should have children at the optimal age and insist on breastfeeding.