Three sisters who didn't smoke got lung cancer one after another! This is very important, but many people do it wrong

Expert of this article: Hu Zhongdong, deputy chief physician, health manager, registered nutritionist

Recently, the topic #3 sisters who don’t smoke were diagnosed with lung cancer one after another# has become a hot topic. In just one year, Ms. Lin’s three sisters were successively diagnosed with lung nodules and were eventually diagnosed with lung cancer.

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In daily life, the occurrence of lung cancer is usually associated with smoking, and this is also the first reaction of many people when they see this news. However, these three sisters are not smokers and do not work in special professions. It is basically a problem of genetic susceptibility. Fortunately, they attach great importance to physical examinations, discover the disease in time, and there is no metastasis, so the prognosis is good.

This shows that physical examinations and cancer screening are very important. Which groups of people are at high risk of cancer? How should we choose cancer prevention physical examinations? Let's learn about it together.

Who are the people at high risk of cancer?

1. People with a family history of cancer;

2. Elderly people: Unless there is a family hereditary tumor, young people generally have a relatively low chance of getting cancer. Studies have shown that the risk of cancer increases after the age of 50.

3. People with bad living habits: such as people who smoke and drink for a long time, stay up late, have irregular work and rest schedules, like to eat red meat and processed meat products, and like to eat pickled, smoked, grilled, and fried foods for a long time;

4. People who sit for a long time, lack exercise, and are overweight;

5. People related to specific occupational environmental factors: Occupational carcinogens include chemical, physical and biological factors. Among them, chemical substances are the most common occupational carcinogens and long-term exposure may lead to cancer.

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There are 11 types of occupational tumors caused by chemicals that have been included in the statutory occupational disease catalog in my country, namely:

6. People with infection factors:

Human papillomavirus (HPV): cervical cancer, anal cancer, etc.

Helicobacter pylori (Hp): Gastric cancer

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV): primary liver cancer

Epstein-Barr virus: nasopharyngeal carcinoma, lymphoma

How to choose appropriate cancer prevention physical examination items?

Is the more expensive the cancer prevention checkup, the better?

Be targeted

Cancer prevention physical examinations are different from general physical examinations. Different cancer high-risk groups have different physical examination methods to choose from.

Are all physical examinations the same, regardless of specific circumstances?

Different situations require different solutions

Everyone's family history, eating habits, and living and working environment are different, so the high-risk factors and the risk of cancer are also different.

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For example, for people who smoke for a long time or are exposed to secondhand smoke, the probability of developing lung cancer is relatively high. After the age of 40, they should have a low-dose spiral chest CT scan once a year.

If more than one person in the family suffers from lung cancer, it is necessary to consider whether there is a family genetic susceptibility and the family needs to undergo regular lung CT examinations more than the average person.

Obese people are more likely to develop colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and other tumors.

If a mother has breast cancer, her daughter's chances of developing the disease increase.

Just for cancer testing?

Don't neglect basic inspections

Routine blood test: Some important diseases can be reflected in routine blood test, such as leukemia, lymphoma, etc.; digestive tract tumors may cause anemia.

Urinalysis: Positive urine occult blood and increased red blood cells may be caused by bleeding from urinary tract tumors.

Stool routine and fecal occult blood test: Stool test is one of the items that is most easily abandoned, but it is very important. If the fecal occult blood is continuously positive, there is a possibility of stomach cancer or intestinal cancer, and further gastroscopy and colonoscopy are necessary.

Superstitious about cancer gene testing?

This group of people should do genetic testing

Preventive cancer gene testing for healthy people can only tell us whether we have cancer-related gene mutations. Having them does not necessarily mean that we will get cancer; not having them does not mean that we will not get cancer. Preventive cancer gene testing is not recommended for people at general risk.

For people with a high risk of cancer and obvious familial genetic characteristics, preventive genetic testing may help them take countermeasures earlier and reduce their risk of cancer.

For example, if a close relative has breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or other related cancers; or has breast cancer before menopause; or has multiple related tumors at the same time, such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, etc.; or there is male breast cancer in the family, it is very important to perform BRCA gene testing.

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In addition, unlike the preventive cancer genetic tests on the market for healthy people, genetic testing for patients who have already been diagnosed with cancer can help doctors locate the mutated genes of the tumor, provide necessary information for personalized medicine and precision medication, and improve treatment outcomes.

If tumor markers are normal, then there is no cancer?

It can only be used as a reference, not to diagnose tumors

Some patients with advanced cancer may have all negative tumor markers. Tumor markers may have false positive or false negative results. Benign tumors, inflammation, bad living habits, etc., can cause certain markers to increase. Doctors need to analyze the level of tumor marker concentration exceeding the standard, the duration, and whether the indicators continue to rise. Dynamic examination of tumor markers is more meaningful, and further clarification is required based on endoscopic and imaging examinations.

Early prevention, early detection, early diagnosis, early treatment

Actively and correctly prevent and control cancer

Actively participate in cancer screening

Practice a healthy lifestyle

We are all responsible for our own health.

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