Is late stage breast cancer scary?

From the perspective of modern clinical medicine, the causes of breast cancer are relatively complex, so after a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, the cause needs to be found in time so that the right medicine can be prescribed. In fact, breast cancer is a cancer disease with a high possibility of being cured, so patients do not have to worry too much after suffering from breast cancer. However, is it scary if the disease has developed to the middle and late stages of breast cancer?

Is breast cancer scary?

1. The cause of breast cancer has not been fully clarified: Although the cause has not been fully clarified, the scary thing is that many factors directly affect the incidence of breast cancer. Factors such as late childbearing age, reduced number of births, infertility among DINKs, early menarche, family history of breast cancer, oral contraceptives, radiation exposure, and radiation have all been confirmed to be related to breast cancer. Factors such as miscarriage, premature sexual activity, busy work, mental depression, long-term use of estrogen-containing supplements, and hormone-containing cosmetics have become the main reasons for the high incidence of breast cancer in young women in recent years.

2. The age of breast cancer patients is getting younger: Previously, most breast cancer patients were around 50 years old, that is, women around menopause, but now breast cancer is becoming younger and younger. Now the average age of breast cancer in Chinese women is around 35 years old.

3. The number of breast cancer patients is increasing too fast: Breast cancer poses the greatest threat to women’s health and has been listed as the “number one killer” that threatens women’s health. Currently, about 1.2 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year worldwide, and the annual incidence rate increases at a rate of 5% to 20%. There are 100,000 new cases in China every year.

4. Improper treatment can easily spread: The average doubling time of breast cancer cells is 90 days. Before a tumor can be found clinically, the tumor stays in the latent stage for an average of 12 years (6-20 years). Once a tumor occurs, it can develop in the following ways: local extension, lymphatic spread, and hematogenous spread. If breast cancer is not treated or if medication is ineffective, it can spread to the following areas: lymph nodes, bones, lungs, liver, brain, pleural cavity, pericardial effusion, high blood calcium, and spinal cord compression.

Breast cancer risk

1. In the late stage of breast cancer, lymph node metastasis may occur, the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes will swell, and the number of swollen lymph nodes will continue to increase, and they will adhere to each other into clumps. A small number of patients may have contralateral axillary lymph node metastasis. In the later stages of breast cancer, distant metastasis may occur. Breast cancer may metastasize to the lungs, causing symptoms such as chest pain, pleural effusion, and shortness of breath.

2. Atrophy of the upper limbs and hand muscles: often caused by damage to the brachial plexus or its sheath during surgery, and atrophy of the hypothenar muscles is common.

3. Breast cancer patients may develop "tumor loss of appetite-cachexia syndrome" in the middle and late stages. Loss of appetite is both the cause and clinical manifestation of cachexia. Symptoms such as loss of appetite, anorexia, weight loss, fatigue, anemia and fever may occur, and in severe cases, it may be life-threatening.

4. A small number of breast cancer patients may experience varying degrees of tenderness or nipple discharge in the early stages. Breast cancer tumors grow rapidly. The breast may have "orange peel-like" changes, with the skin on the surface of the tumor becoming sunken, the nipple leaning toward the direction of the tumor, and the nipple becoming inverted. In the late stages of breast cancer, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis may cause a series of other symptoms.

5. Bleeding: Bleeding is one of the most common complications after surgery. This complication may occur after lumpectomy or radical resection.

Breast cancer cure rate

1. There is also a breast cancer staging method, which adds an additional "stage zero" before stage 1 breast cancer. Stage 0 breast cancer means that a lump has appeared in the breast, but cancer cells have not yet appeared and the lymph cells have not been affected. The cure rate for breast cancer is obviously the highest at this time, but it cannot be confirmed as breast cancer at this time. Therefore, patients are generally diagnosed and treated from the first stage.

2. The cure rate for stage II breast cancer is relatively high, reaching 75%. Stage II breast cancer refers to a breast lump larger than two centimeters but smaller than five centimeters. The cancer cells in the breast lump have already begun or will soon begin to affect the lymphatic system, and are in the initial stages of breast cancer cells preparing to move, or moving. In stage II breast cancer, cancer cells have just begun or are about to begin infiltrating the lymph nodes. If diagnosed and treated in time, breast cancer can be controlled starting with local treatment. With a cure rate of around 75%, the hope for recovery is already extremely high.

3. The cure rate of stage III breast cancer is still more than half (about 55%). Stage III breast cancer means that the breast lump is larger than 5 cm, and the cancer cells have begun to spread and affect the nearby lymphatic system and even spread to the skin. The treatment of stage III breast cancer requires coordination with systemic treatment. The treatment of stage III requires abandoning the breast. The cure rate at this time is over 55%, which is still relatively high.

4. The cure rate for stage IV breast cancer is less than 10%. Stage IV breast cancer is already extremely serious. The size of the breast lump can be ignored at this time. Breast cancer cells have already spread throughout the body, moving cancer cells to tissues and organs throughout the body. Stage IV breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer, but it still has a 10% cure rate. Everyone knows the cure rate of stage II breast cancer. After breast cancer is cured, there is still a five or ten-year recurrence period. If there is no recurrence within five or ten years, then breast cancer has been cured and there is no need to worry about it.