Beware! This cancer is the most common cancer in the world! Both women and men can get it! Does long-term makeup increase the risk? Read quickly →

October of each year is "World Breast Cancer Prevention Month". According to data from the World Health Organization, in 2020, there were 2.26 million new cases of breast cancer worldwide, exceeding the 2.2 million cases of lung cancer. Breast cancer has replaced lung cancer and become the world's number one cancer. In my country, there are about 400,000 new breast cancer patients each year.

Many people think that breast cancer is a disease that only women get. Can men get breast cancer?

The answer is yes. According to statistics, male breast cancer patients in my country account for about 1% of breast cancer patients, most of whom are middle-aged and elderly.

Clinically, breast diseases in young men are mainly related to obesity and eating habits, while breast diseases in the elderly are mostly related to long-term alcoholism and oral hormone drugs. Alcohol can easily damage the liver's metabolic function, and the liver is responsible for the decomposition and excretion of estrogen in men. Excessive drinking can cause estrogen to accumulate in the body, causing breast hypertrophy and increasing the risk of breast cancer.

Shi Xiaoguang, Director of Breast Surgery at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Dongzhimen Hospital: Male breast cancer mostly occurs in middle-aged and elderly men between 60 and 70 years old. Although men have fewer breast glands, there is still a possibility of epithelial tissue malignancy. It should be noted that men rarely go for breast examinations, which leads to many male breast cancer patients being in the middle or late stages when they seek medical treatment.

Therefore, men should learn to check themselves through some symptoms in daily life, such as obvious lumps in the chest, secretions from the nipples, etc. If they encounter these situations, they should seek medical attention in time.

Long-term use of inferior cosmetics will increase the risk of breast cancer. Just as men are more likely to engage in alcoholism and other behaviors, many women wear makeup for a long time, which will also increase the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is closely related to estrogen levels. Infertility, late first childbirth, short breastfeeding time, etc. can increase the body's exposure to estrogen and increase the risk of breast cancer.

Lin Hua, director of the Minimally Invasive Breast Center of Fuxing Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University: Some people have severe menopausal symptoms and take estrogen, but lack effective breast monitoring. Some health products, nutritional supplements, and low-quality cosmetics contain estrogen, which, if used for a long time, can also promote the incidence of breast cancer.

Breast nodules are divided into benign and malignant. The risk of malignancy needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. With the popularization of physical examinations, many women will have regular breast ultrasound examinations, and some will be found to have breast nodules. Will nodules definitely develop into cancer? What should I do if I have breast nodules?
Breast nodules include breast cancer, as well as benign tumors such as breast hyperplastic nodules, breast cysts, and breast fibroadenomas. Benign breast nodules are smooth to the touch, with clear boundaries and good mobility; malignant breast nodules are irregular to the touch, with unclear boundaries, strong blood flow signals, and low mobility. Most nodules are benign, especially those that exist for a long time and have not increased significantly. Generally, benign breast nodules do not require special treatment and can be checked regularly.

As age increases, the level of estrogen in the body decreases, and the nodules will gradually disappear. Many people think that nodules will turn into cancer sooner or later. In fact, the nature of nodules will not change, that is, nodules that have been clearly identified as benign will not turn into cancer. However, the nature of nodules must be determined through pathological diagnosis. If the examination indicates that breast nodules have a risk of malignancy, they need to be treated as soon as possible to avoid delaying treatment.

Breast cancer has a familial hereditary characteristic, and maternal inheritance is particularly obvious. It is well known that hypertension and diabetes, which plague many people, are diseases with strong hereditary characteristics. Can breast cancer also be inherited in the family?
Epidemiological surveys have found that 5%-10% of breast cancer is familial. If one close relative has breast cancer, the risk of the disease increases by 1.5-3 times; if two close relatives have breast cancer, the risk of the disease increases by 7 times. The younger the age of onset, the greater the risk of breast cancer in relatives.

Huang Hanyuan, chief expert in breast surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital: Maternal inheritance is more obvious. If the mother or her sister has problems, the chance of getting the disease is greater. I saw a patient with six sisters, aged between 30 and 50, and four of the six had breast cancer.

Experts recommend that women with a family history of breast cancer can undergo genetic testing to find out whether they carry abnormal genes so that they can take appropriate preventive measures.

If you have breast disease, you can feel it.

Women over 20 years old can do a breast self-examination once a month to help detect breast problems early. Generally, the best time to do a self-examination is 9 to 11 days after menstruation.

1. Look

It is best to do it in front of a large mirror to observe whether the breasts are symmetrical, whether the skin color of the breasts is different, whether there are any depressions on the surface of the breasts, etc.

2. Touch

Raise one hand, and with the other hand, put the other four fingers except the thumb together, and slide them in a circular motion from the inside to the outside to touch the breast and check for lumps or nodules.

3. Squeeze

Press on the areola to see if fluid comes out.

4. Press

Press on the outside of the breast and armpit to feel for lumps.

remind

Feeling a lump doesn't necessarily mean it's cancer

There are many diseases that cause breast lumps, such as breast fibroids and breast hyperplasia, but they are not closely related to breast cancer. Therefore, not all breast lumps need to be treated. Taking fibroids as an example, if the fibroids of young women are no larger than 2cm, surgery is generally not recommended.

Even if you can't feel a lump, you may still have a risk of cancer

The main clinical manifestation of breast cancer is a breast lump, but it is not the only clinical manifestation. Therefore, even if no breast lump is found during self-examination, there is still a risk of cancer. Therefore, it is best to go to the hospital for relevant examinations regularly.

The cure rate of breast cancer is 95% (5-year survival) if it is discovered early, so breast self-examination is of great significance. Of course, even if the self-examination method is correct, it is possible that it is not detected. For women over 40 years old, it is best to have a mammogram screening every year or every two years.

Protect your breasts by doing these 4 things

1. Control your weight

Obesity is one of the risk factors for breast cancer. Studies have found that women with thick waists have a higher risk of breast cancer, which is twice that of those with thin waists.

2. Exercise appropriately

In 2016, a survey of 1.44 million people in Europe and the United States showed that exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 10%.

It is recommended to exercise 3 to 5 days a week, 20 to 30 minutes a day, mainly low-intensity aerobic exercise. At the same time, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, do not eat moldy food, pickled, smoked, grilled products or low-fat diet.

3. Quit smoking and drinking

Smoking and excessive drinking are risk factors for breast cancer, so you should quit smoking and drinking, and try to avoid inhaling secondhand smoke.

4. Keep a good mood

More than half of breast cancer cases are caused by negative emotional energy! So some people say that breast cancer is caused by "anger".

Maintain an optimistic mental state and avoid negative emotions such as long-term fatigue, mental stress, excessive sadness, etc., so as not to cause endocrine dysfunction and lead to abnormal estrogen secretion.

The beauty of breasts requires maintenance; a healthy body requires self-discipline.

Early detection and early treatment of early breast cancer have a high cure rate

Although breast cancer has replaced lung cancer as the world's leading cancer, experts emphasize that as long as early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment are available, the cure rate for early and mid-stage breast cancer can reach 80% to 90%. Source: CCTV Finance, Public Health Sharing Channel