Dr. Fu Pei Fen, deputy chief physician, is the deputy director of the First Hospital of Zhejiang University’s Breast Disease Center, with research interests in the diagnosis and treatment of various breast diseases and mammoplasty surgery. Early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment can effectively reduce the mortality rate of breast cancer, which is also the key to improve the treatment effect of breast cancer, but in the clinic, Dr. Fu found another problem, she said: “As people pay more attention to their own health, more and more people are concerned about breast cancer, which is a good thing, but due to the inequality of information, leading to many people ‘Talking about cancer’, once they find breast swelling and pain, feel breast lumps and lobular hyperplasia, the whole person’s nerves are tensed, constantly expanding the symptoms indefinitely, repeatedly seeking medical help everywhere and scaring themselves, which seriously affects their daily work life.” 40%-50% of people in outpatient clinics are just lobular hyperplasia Since the medical examination report came out, 28-year-old Xiao Chen has not slept a good day, only because of the sentence in the medical examination summary – left breast hyperplasia, it is recommended that the breast specialist review. When she saw this diagnosis, she froze on the spot. Because not long ago, an acquaintance of hers passed away because of breast cancer, only in her forties, and the acquaintance was found during the self-examination, but the result was already advanced when she went to the hospital. Chen started to go to the hospital frequently, exchanging Chinese and Western doctors, and having breast ultrasound done again and again. Each time the results were good, and the doctor who saw her told her that she had nothing to fear from lobular hyperplasia and that occasional breast tenderness was normal, but she was still unsure, afraid that she had been “trapped”. Dr. Fu Pei Fen said that most of her outpatients, except for those who come for follow-up, come to the clinic because they suspect they have breast cancer, and 40%-50% of them are just lobular hyperplasia like Xiao Chen. They have several common characteristics, mainly aged 20-40; educated but lacking medical expertise; common symptoms include: cyclical swelling and pain in the breast, more obvious in the premenstrual period, some of them may also be accompanied by nipple overflow or lumps to be felt. Dr. Pei-Fen Fu said that if it is only lobular hyperplasia, it does not need treatment and can be improved through lifestyle habits and psychological adjustment, and most patients’ symptoms may disappear on their own when they develop to a certain level. Lobular hyperplasia is a physiological change in the breast and has a very small chance of becoming breast cancer. Dr. Pei-Fen Fu said that lobular hyperplasia is a common breast symptom in women, and it occurs in women during their reproductive years. Strictly speaking, it is not a breast disease, but a physiological change in the breast due to physiological hyperplasia and incomplete regeneration of the normal breast lobules and disruption of the normal breast structure. Before menopause, women’s mammary glands are affected by estrogen and progesterone secreted by the ovaries every month and experience periodic swelling, pain and other discomfort, which is why the symptoms of lobular hyperplasia often appear a week or two before menstruation and disappear afterwards. Also, endocrine changes can occur due to certain physical conditions, such as fatigue and psychological state. Dr. Fu said that those patients who are worrying, depressed and tangled, the symptoms tend to be more obvious and last relatively longer each time. Because, excessive tension tends to lead to endocrine imbalance and aggravate the symptoms. Frequent late nights and lack of sleep can also cause lobular hyperplasia, or aggravate existing symptoms. Dr. Fu said that the common point between lobular hyperplasia and breast cancer is that both are caused by the stimulation of estrogen on breast tissue resulting in local cell proliferation, only that breast cancer is a malignant hyperplasia. Although the development of lobular hyperplasia and breast cancer can sometimes go hand in hand, and lobular hyperplasia can be found in surgical specimens from breast cancer patients, the chances of developing from lobular hyperplasia to breast cancer are very small. Although breast cancer is the number one common cancer among women, and its incidence in China is increasing year by year in recent years, and there is a younger age, the incidence of breast cancer is not as high as we think, it is about 40 to 50 per 100,000. The incidence of breast cancer is not as high as we think, but it is not as high as we think. Pei-Fen Fu suggests that women should do a breast self-examination 3-7 days after each menstrual period;
For women between 18 and 40 years old, they should have a regular breast ultrasound once a year; after 40 years old, they should have a mammogram. If there is no problem, you can basically rule out breast cancer, so don’t be suspicious. Breast self-examination method: Take off your shirt, stand in front of the mirror with your hands down or with your arms crossed, observe the shape of both breasts to see if they are symmetrical, whether there are skin depressions, nipple overflow, etc.; touch your breasts clockwise or counterclockwise, note that it is touching, not grasping and pinching, to see if there are lumps and nodules. If the lump has a clear border and a smooth surface, has a fixed shape (round or oval), and is not stuck to the skin, it is usually benign. It is important to note that it is not abnormal for one breast to be slightly larger than the other, but if there is significant bilateral asymmetry, swelling and pain in the breast even after menstruation, and enlarged nodules in the front and back of the upper and lower armpits and in the middle area, you should promptly consult a doctor for investigation.