Breast cancer facts you should know!Be prepared to keep breast cancer away
October is International Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, female breast cancer ranks fourth among the top ten cancer-related deaths in China in 2022. One female Chinese suffers from breast cancer every 36 minutes, ranking first in the incidence of cancer among women. Women will be at risk of breast cancer throughout their lives, so don’t be afraid. As long as you are prepared and bravely have an intimate conversation with your breasts, you can keep breast cancer away!
Pink October International Breast Cancer Prevention and Care Month was first initiated by the American Cancer Society with the purpose of awakening women’s attention to breast cancer. According to 109 years of cancer registration data from the National Health Service and 111 years of death statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in China. Ranking first in breast cancer rate and third in mortality rate, 1 in 10 women may develop breast cancer in their lifetime. The peak incidence of breast cancer is between 45 and 69 years old.
1. Five common myths about breast cancer
Some women have wrong myths about breast cancer, which often leads to delays in breast cancer prevention and treatment. Wang Wenqing, chief physician at the Breast Surgery Department of Chi Mei Hospital, reminds female friends of the following five wrong myths about breast cancer:
Breast cancer facts you should know!Be prepared to keep breast cancer away
Myth 1: The bigger the breasts, the higher the chance of getting breast cancer
Some patients will ask: “Why do I get breast cancer if my breasts are so small?” Many people think that the bigger the breasts, the greater the chance of getting breast cancer. In fact, this is an illusion! It doesn’t mean that you don’t need to pay attention to it because your breasts are small. This is wrong. The chance of getting breast cancer will not change because of the cup size!
Myth 2: Breast cancer is a disease of middle-aged people
In addition, Asian breast cancer patients are younger than Westerners! Many women think that breast cancer is a disease of middle-aged people, but in fact, breast cancer in general is getting younger and younger. In recent years, a lot of people even get breast cancer in their twenties, so don’t say that young people don’t need to pay attention. Breast cancer prevention, treatment and detection.
Myth 3: If you don’t have a family history, you don’t have to worry.
Many people also think that if there is no family history, there is no need to worry about getting breast cancer! In fact, regardless of whether there is a family history, there is a possibility of breast cancer, so it is best to maintain the habit of regular check-ups.
Myth 4: Chemotherapy is scary and will kill you
Some clinically diagnosed breast cancer patients do not want treatment because the first thing they think of is chemotherapy! Their myth is that chemotherapy is scary and it is easy to die from chemotherapy. But in fact, very few people die because of chemotherapy, and they are all extreme cases. In fact, more people benefit from chemotherapy, and chemotherapy is a very important treatment method for breast cancer! Once there is this wrong myth, everyone will fall into the trap that chemotherapy is a very painful and dangerous treatment method. Therefore, do not delay breast cancer treatment because of fear of chemotherapy.
Myth 5: Wrong understanding of mammography
The National Health Service subsidizes women to undergo mammography screening every two years. Some people may think that the Department of Health notifies me to do it once every two years, and that’s enough for me. I didn’t do the ultrasound or pay attention to other things. In fact, this is wrong! Mammography screening every two years is the minimum requirement! Patients in high-risk groups need to have an ultrasound examination even every six months. For most people, it is best to have an ultrasound examination once a year.
Then, more people don’t want to do mammograms because they require clamping of the breasts, which is very painful! In fact, the feeling of pain is unavoidable, but it does not feel painful every time during mammogram. Sometimes, the obvious pain will be felt when the breasts are inflamed recently. The pain may not be the same next year, but many people suffer from this. I don’t want to do mammograms. You should know that some breast cancers even require mammograms to be seen, so don’t avoid having mammograms just because of pain.
2. Breast cancer symptoms and prevention
To stay away from breast cancer, you must first understand it! Dr. Wang Wenqing reminds female friends that if they have the following symptoms, be careful of possible breast cancer:
Symptom 1: There is a lump in the breast
You can feel a hard lump in your breast, but usually you won’t feel any pain. If you feel any discomfort, it’s just a little bit, it just feels weird. But if it can be touched with your hands, it means that the tumor is relatively large, and you should quickly remind yourself to see a doctor. The best test is ultrasound. Because the tumors that can be seen with ultrasound are smaller, they can be detected earlier.
Symptom 2: Discharge from the nipple
There is red or brown discharge from the nipple, or there is an ulcer on the nipple, or a wound that never heals.
Symptom 3: There are depressions in the chest skin
Usually when facing the mirror, you move your hands, for example: raising your hands. Being overweight will increase the chance of breast cancer. If you feel a lump in your chest, remind yourself to see a doctor immediately. It is found that the shape of the breasts will change, and the skin in a certain part of the chest will be sunken. There is a problem in that place! It is very likely that there is a malignant tumor underneath. It pulls the skin, so the skin there is less elastic than other skin. If you pull it, it will show a concave shape.
Breast cancer facts you should know!Be prepared to keep breast cancer away
Breast cancer prevention methods
1. There are already innate conditions that cannot be changed:
There are already congenital conditions that can be changed, for example, (1) there is a family history of genetic abnormalities, or (2) previous chest radiation therapy, and (3) menstruation comes too early, before the age of 12 Starting menstruation right away, or (4) menopause too late, or menopause after the age of 55, will increase the risk of cancer, so these people need regular check-ups.
2. Changeable lifestyle habits:
In addition, people who like to drink, are overweight, and do not like to exercise are also high-risk groups, and it is best to track them regularly. But these can be changed, for example: drink less, control your weight and not be overweight, exercise more and don’t sit still for too long.
Interview written by Lin Yiping
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2023-10-20 09:03:56
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