If you have sudden pain or are concerned about breast cancer, get regular checkups.

[메디컬투데이=김준수 기자] Mastodynia is pain in the chest and is a very common symptom. Around 70% of women experience breast pain, and cyclical breast pain, which often occurs in people in their 20s and 30s, is usually pain associated with menstruation and may appear to menopause. Non-cyclical breast pain occurs most often in women in their mid-30s or older, and it gradually increases in postmenopausal women as hormone replacement therapy progresses. .

Therefore, most chest pain is considered part of a normal physiological phenomenon, and only less than 5% of breast cancer patients complain of chest pain as a symptom. However, it is important to remember that breast pain may be the only symptom of breast cancer. In particular, postmenopausal breast pain must be careful because it is very likely to be caused by a malignant disease, and breast pain associated with breast cancer is limited to the left and right sides and is persistent and severe, so if you have these symptoms, you will need to visit a hospital. For patients older than 35 who experience mastalgia, in principle, it is recommended to continue for at least a year if mastalgia persists even if no evidence of breast cancer is found.

Director Lee Ji-eun (radiologist) of Ewha & Yoo Radiology Clinic said, “Chest pain is often a temporary symptom caused by physiological and circulatory changes, but if the pain lasts more than a week or it bad enough to cause discomfort. daily life, you have to visit the hospital.

Director Lee continued, “Breast cancer starts from small, invisible tumor tissues, so it is best to start treatment quickly through early detection 10%). 40 to go through regular inspections every two years,” he said.

Due to the characteristics of many Korean women with dense breasts, it is generally recommended that breast cancer screening be performed along with mammography and ultrasound. If an abnormality is found here, a biopsy must be done recently, preferably the VAB procedure (Vacuum Assisted Breast Biopsy), commonly known as the Mammotome/Enco procedure. VAB surgery has the advantage of leaving almost no scars because it is performed with minimal invasiveness of about 3 mm for a short time (less than 30 minutes) after the application of local anesthesia in the skin of the chest area a safe and very accurate method, and recently it has been used in advanced cases It is also widely used to remove tumors.

Director Lee said, “In fact, 90% of patients who complain of breast pain do not need special treatment because the pain is relieved naturally over time, but in severe cases, it can be relieve the pain with heat packs or by taking painkillers, and caffeine. , which causes breast pain, to be reduced.” “It is better to refrain from eating foods high in fat or high in sodium,” he said. given for lumps or skin changes.” “It helps detect breast cancer early,” he said.

Medical Today Reporter Junsu Kim ([email protected])

[저작권자ⓒ 메디컬투데이. 무단전재-재배포 금지]