This type of cancer is often diagnosed in the middle or late stages! Women must do this examination after the age of 30!

Recently, at the National Breast Cancer Conference, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology released a new version of the breast cancer diagnosis and treatment guidelines. Experts said that breast cancer is the malignant tumor with the highest morbidity and mortality rate among women in my country. Many patients are already in the middle and late stages when diagnosed, and are prone to local recurrence and distant organ metastasis. The overall 5-year survival rate of patients with advanced breast cancer in my country is less than 50%.

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When it comes to breast cancer, a large number of people believe that the larger the breasts, the higher the probability of breast cancer. After all, the larger the size, the greater the scope and chance of problems. Is this really the case?

01

Which one is more likely to get breast cancer: big breasts or small breasts?

The breast is composed of skin, fibrous tissue, mammary gland, fat, blood vessels, nerves and other tissues. The most important parts are fat and mammary gland.

Breast cancer, as the name implies, is cancer that occurs in the mammary gland, not the entire breast. Large breasts are usually caused by excess fat, and have nothing to do with the mammary gland.

Large breasts are caused by high fat content, and fat is a "safe" tissue that does not have the risk of cancer. Therefore, women with large breasts are no more likely to develop breast cancer than women with small breasts.

People with small breasts may gasp when seeing this. Are people with small breasts more likely to develop breast cancer?

It is possible! Because a considerable number of people with small breasts have "dense breasts", which means less breast fat and more glands. People with dense breasts and more glandular tissue have a higher incidence of breast cancer than those with more breast fat tissue (that is, most people with large breasts).

Li Anhua, chief physician of the Ultrasound Electrocardiology Department of the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Center of Sun Yat-sen University, said in an interview with Guangzhou Daily in 2016 that more than 50% of women in my country have dense breasts. Clinical studies over decades have shown that women with dense breasts have a 4.7 times higher risk of breast cancer than women with fatty breasts. Moreover, dense glands can easily mask early cancer symptoms.

02

"Breast cancer" prefers such breasts.

See how many of them are occupied?

1. High density breasts

In a dense (more glandular) breast, cancer is easier to hide and less likely to be discovered. Asians have more thymus tissue, giving them a relatively higher chance of breast cancer. Generally, the missed diagnosis rate of mammography alone is high. Only through detailed medical history, standardized physical examination, and ultrasound or breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can it be discovered in its early stages.

2. Excessive estrogen levels in the body

If the hormone levels in the body are abnormal, cancer can "do whatever it wants". Women who have early menarche and late menopause have a higher risk of breast cancer than the general population.

Single women, women who have children late in life, women who are not breastfeeding, or women who have not given birth lack the protection of progesterone and may be more susceptible to breast cancer due to stimulation from excess estrogen.

In addition, obese people have a higher risk of developing breast cancer and breast cancer spreading than people of normal weight because obesity causes changes in hormone levels in the body.

3. Have had breast disease

If you have had diseases such as breast cysts and atypical hyperplasia in the past, cancer is more likely to come to you. In addition, many people never go for a follow-up check after having surgery for benign diseases, which makes it easy for cancer to take advantage of the opportunity.

4. Frequent hair dyeing

In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2019, researchers linked the risk of breast cancer to hair dye - women who used permanent hair dye had a higher risk of breast cancer than women who did not use these products!

The researchers obtained information from more than 50,000 women aged 35-74. The average follow-up time for these women was more than 8 years. They found that women who regularly used permanent hair dyes in the 12 months before participating in the study had a 9% increased risk of breast cancer. In particular, the ingredients of some substandard hair dyes have a greater risk of cancer.

5. Smoking and drinking

In addition to the risk factors listed above, breast cancer is more likely to occur if you do these three things: drinking, smoking, and excessive radiation exposure.

03

It is best for women to have regular breast screening after the age of 30

The peak age of breast cancer in European and American women is 60 years old, while the peak age of breast cancer in Chinese women is about 50 years old, 10 years younger than that in foreign countries. Therefore, it is recommended that women over 30 years old have regular breast examinations.

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To prevent breast cancer, screening should be conducted by age group. Wang Zhihong, deputy chief physician of the Department of Breast Surgery at Guizhou Cancer Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2018, saying that based on domestic and international medical guidelines and clinical experience, screening by age group is recommended.

20-39 years old: If you are asymptomatic, have a negative clinical breast examination, and have no high-risk factors, it is recommended that you undergo a clinical breast examination every 1 to 3 years and raise awareness of breast self-health protection. You can voluntarily undergo the examination.

40-49 years old: Mammogram once a year, recommended in combination with clinical examination; for dense breasts, recommended in combination with B-ultrasound examination.

50-59 years old: Mammogram once every 1 to 2 years. It is recommended to combine it with clinical examination and B-ultrasound examination for dense breasts.

70 years or older: Mammogram every 2 years. It is recommended to be combined with a physical examination and, for dense breasts, with B-ultrasound.

High-risk group for breast cancer: If you have a first-degree relative with breast cancer (mother, father, sister, brother), you are at high risk for breast cancer. Screening should be carried out in advance (20-40 years old), and the screening interval is recommended to be once a year. In addition to the commonly used clinical physical examination, color ultrasound and mammography for the general population, new imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are recommended.

Source: Health Times

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