The three most feared “changes” of breast cancer

In clinical practice, some women suffer from breast cancer at a very young age, and some are even in the middle or late stages of the disease. This is all due to the fact that they usually "ignore" their breast health; while some women are overly sensitive and are deeply afraid that lobular hyperplasia of the breast will turn into cancer. In fact, we should have a correct understanding of breast cancer. We should not underestimate the early screening of breast cancer, nor should we be afraid of it or be overly sensitive about it.

Breast lobular hyperplasia

About 10% of women experience lobular hyperplasia of the breast, and the most common question is "Will lobular hyperplasia of the breast turn into breast cancer?"

Medically speaking, lobular hyperplasia of the breast is not a disease, but a physiological change of the breast. Before menopause, the breasts are regulated by estrogen and progesterone secreted by the ovaries, and will experience periodic swelling and pain. Estrogen will cause the mammary glands and ducts to proliferate, while progesterone will cause them to withdraw and regress. Therefore, the mammary gland will undergo a process of proliferation and regression every month under the regulation of estrogen and progesterone.

However, endocrine system can also be affected by other physical conditions such as fatigue, mental state, work fatigue and other factors, thus changing the endocrine environment of the body. Therefore, it is possible that the recovery of the previous cycle has not yet completely passed, and the proliferation of the next cycle has already arrived. At the same time, there are some other stimulating factors that can cause breast cells to proliferate irregularly and irregularly.

Many patients with lobular breast hyperplasia will panic and become frightened. In fact, lobular hyperplasia of the breast does not require treatment and its rate of canceration is very low. If you experience breast tenderness or a lump-like sensation before or after your period, you should go to the hospital for a check-up to confirm the diagnosis. Patients over 35 years old with lobular breast hyperplasia should go to the hospital for mammography examinations regularly every year for early detection and early treatment.

Don't underestimate women who marry and have children late

According to the epidemiological survey of breast cancer, single women, unmarried and non-pregnant women over 40 years old, or women with a childbearing age of more than 30 years old are at high risk of breast cancer, and their incidence of breast cancer is significantly higher than that of normally married and childbearing women. After a woman becomes pregnant, the level of progesterone increases, which can counteract the excessive activity of estrogen, and the activity of estrogen plays an important role in the occurrence of breast cancer.

Early screening programs for breast cancer vary from person to person. Women under 40 have dense breast tissue, which is not penetrated by X-rays enough, so it is difficult to detect lesions with the help of X-rays. Therefore, this high-risk group can use breast B-ultrasound examination as their first choice for early breast cancer screening. Women over 20 years old should perform a self-examination once a month.

Women over 40 years old should have a mammogram every 1 to 2 years. Mammography can accurately detect breast cancer lesions before the patient shows any signs of the disease. Many patients rely on this early screening tool to discover very small breast cancer tumors that are too small to be felt by hand, thus buying precious time for treatment.

"3 Changes" to Prevent and Treat Breast Cancer

1. Change eating habits and establish a reasonable dietary structure

For women, estrogen is a double-edged sword. It can make women more "feminine", but when its level remains high, it can also cause breast cancer and other diseases. While the diversification of diet adds color to our dining table, the large intake of high-sugar, high-fat, and high-calorie foods will change the endocrine environment in women, strengthen or prolong the stimulating effect of estrogen on breast epithelial cells, and thus increase the probability of breast cancer.

It has been confirmed that fat intake is closely related to the occurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, including foods containing phytoestrogens such as honey and royal jelly, and foods containing animal estrogens such as animal offal. Long-term intake of these foods will cause an imbalance in hormone levels in the body and lead to the occurrence of breast cancer.

For this reason, we recommend that women eat more foods such as carrots, kelp and seaweed in their daily diet. After the carotene in carrots is absorbed by the human body, it can be converted into vitamin A, which can maintain the normal structure and function of human epithelial tissue and prevent the invasion of carcinogens. Kelp and seaweed contain large amounts of iodine, which can promote the luteinization of ovarian follicles, adjust endocrine disorders, and reduce the risk of breast hyperplasia in women.

2. Change the living environment and create a green and livable environment

Environmental factors are also closely related to the incidence of breast cancer. In daily life, we should strive to improve our living environment and create a green and livable environment, which will help prevent breast cancer.

① There are a lot of hydrocarbons and dioxins in the "three wastes" pollutants. These compounds have strong carcinogenic effects and can induce cancer.

② Benzene in automobile exhaust, acrylamide formed after food is processed at high temperature, and perfluorooctanoic acid used in anti-stick coatings on rubber, furniture, clothing, and kitchen utensils can all induce cancer to a certain extent.

③In addition, the main ingredient of household insecticides is pyrethroids, which have strong estrogenic activity. Long-term use can lead to female hormone imbalance. At the same time, pyrethroids can also promote the proliferation of cancer cells. Therefore, pesticides should be used as little as possible.

3. Change your mindset: Breast-conserving surgery does not sow the seeds of metastasis

Compared with breast cancer resection treatment, most patients are unwilling to undergo breast-conserving treatment. They believe that "only a clean resection can prevent recurrence." In fact, after a period of moderate radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery, the treatment effect is equivalent to that of radical mastectomy. Breast-conserving surgery does not lay the seeds for cancer cell metastasis.

During the operation, the doctor performed a total mastectomy while retaining most of the normal breast skin and inframammary folds to ensure that the reconstructed breast achieves the best cosmetic effect. The tissue used to reconstruct the breast can be autologous tissue or a breast prosthesis can be implanted. The vascularized or free rectus abdominis muscle flap (using excess skin and fat tissue in the lower abdomen) is not only the most ideal autologous tissue, but can also achieve the purpose of abdominal weight loss.

Of course, there will be a longer surgical scar in the lower abdomen, which is suitable for patients who have already given birth. However, patients with a history of abdominal surgery, especially abdominal liposuction cosmetic surgery, are not suitable for using such a flap. The latissimus dorsi flap plus breast prosthesis implant is also a common method of breast reconstruction. It is suitable for younger patients who still want to have children, or for patients who are thin and have no excess abdominal fat.

The significance of breast-conserving surgery lies in that it can perform breast reconstruction while radically curing breast cancer, and it is completed during one anesthesia and operation. The patient will not suffer psychological trauma due to body changes, which is more conducive to the patient's recovery.

Compared with foreign countries, the acceptance of breast-conserving surgery in clinical practice in China is still relatively low. For this reason, we hope that young patients with early breast cancer can abandon old ideas and actively accept optimized breast-conserving surgery, which can not only achieve the therapeutic effect of removing lesions, but also maintain the integrity of the breast appearance and reduce psychological trauma.