Breast cancer 'Iron wall defense'Danger factors such as family history and long-term exposure to female hormones
Jul 29, 2024
|
It usually occurs in middle-aged women in their 40s and 50s, but recently, the number of young patients in their 20s and 30s is increasing.
According to national cancer registration statistics in 2021, 28,720 people, or about 21.5% of the 133,800 new female cancer patients, were breast cancer. In other words, more than one in five new female cancer patients have been diagnosed with breast cancer. In addition, the crude incidence rate, which means the number of cases per 100,000 female population, is 111.6 and the total number of patients is 303,804.
However, breast cancer can be detected early through regular checkups, and if treated early, it is also a cancer with a high cure rate. The five-year survival rate reached 93.8% as of 2021. In other words, it is highly likely to occur, but treatment is sufficiently possible.
Kang Young-joon, a professor of breast thyroid surgery at the Catholic University of Korea's Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, said, `Fast breast cancer is a cancer that can be overcome if detected early through regular checkups.' Women over the age of 30 should undergo self-examination every month, women over the age of 35 should visit a specialist every two years, and those over the age of 40 should visit a specialist every 1-2 years," he said.
▶Risk factors such as past history, family history, and long-term exposure to female hormones
The cause of breast cancer is not yet clear. However, some risk factors are well known. Risk factors known to date are the past or family history (mother and daughter, sisters) diagnosed with endoderma or atypical proliferation in biopsy. Among actual breast cancers, there is a hereditary breast cancer that inherits cancer genes from parents and is naturally vulnerable to cancer. Domestic hereditary breast cancer accounts for 5-10% of all breast cancer. About 12% of the United States is known to be hereditary. Of course, having a cancer gene does not mean that all cancer will develop. They are only more likely to develop cancer than others. It is known that having a cancer gene increases the incidence by 60-80%.
In addition, it is known that the longer the period of exposure to female hormones (estrogen) due to early menopause, late menopause, no childbirth or lactation experience, or late acetic acid, the higher the risk of breast cancer. In addition, obesity, taking female hormone drugs such as contraceptives, alcohol, caffeine, and radiation are also considered risk factors.
Professor Kang Young-joon said, `If a lump is touched in the breast or the nipple is depressed, the skin of the breast is swollen, and the sweat hole is protruding, making it look like a tangerine peel, or if a blood-mixed secretion comes out of the nipple, breast cancer can be suspected"However, if symptoms appear, the possibility that time has passed since the occurrence should also be considered" he advised.
▶ Examination such as mammography every 1-2 years after age 40
The most important thing for breast cancer prevention is early detection through regular checkups. Breast cancer is diagnosed in three ways: 'self-examination', 'clinical examination' by a doctor, and 'image examination' such as X-ray and ultrasound. It is recommended that self-examination be conducted about a week after menstruation every month. When there is no menstruation due to pregnancy or menopause, a date is set every month. However, self-examination is less accurate. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo a doctor's clinical examination every two years after the age of 35 and a breast examination every one to two years after the age of 40.
Kang Young-joon, professor of breast thyroid surgery at Catholic University of Korea's Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, said "In the case of women in Korea, breast tissue is dense, so it is desirable to take breast x-rays and ultrasound at the same time."However, young women before the age of 40 have very dense breast tissue, but as it is good to avoid possible radiation exposure, it is recommended that ultrasound be performed first unless it is a specific case."
The most essential treatment for breast cancer is surgery. Depending on the condition of the tumor, surgical methods of removing cancer tissue, radiation therapy to prevent local recurrence of the surgical site, chemotherapy for chemotherapy, anti-hormone therapy, and targeted therapy are performed. If total mastectomy is performed, breast restoration surgery can also be performed. In the past, total resection was the trend, but in recent years, attempts have been made to minimize the possible scope of surgery with partial resection, breast preservation, and surveillance lymph node biopsy to improve the quality of life of patients.
▶ Proper nutrition, exercise, and weight management are important
After surgery, it is good to live a regular life such as light exercise and sufficient rest, and it is especially important to have a mindset to enjoy a normal daily life away from anxiety about cancer.
Breast cancer has no particularly good or bad food. It doesn't mean much to associate westernized food with breast cancer. You can mainly eat generally known health foods. Avoid foods that are usually known to be bad, such as fatty foods high in calories or excessive drinking. Obesity, in particular, is not good for breast cancer patients. Refrain from fattening foods or lifestyle habits. Coffee, cola, green tea, vitamin calcium supplements, etc., which are favorite foods, are fine. Rather than looking for good food, eating various nutrients evenly, proper exercise, healthy weight, and regular medical checkups help prevent breast cancer.
※High risk group for breast cancer
1. Women with breast cancer among mothers and siblings
2. a woman with breast cancer on one breast
3. a woman with no birth experience
4. a woman who gave birth to her first child after the age of 30
5. a woman who is obese or overindulged in animal fat
6. a woman who has received long-term hormonal stimulation, such as early menopause, late menopause, or postmenopausal long-term female hormone administration
7. a woman who has been treated with radiation or who has been exposed to strong radiation in the chest area
8. Women who had persistent problems with the breast (such as lump lesions) or had malignancies in the endometrium, ovaries, and large intestine
※Farm cancer self-diagnosis method
1. Look in the mirror and compare the normal breast shape, contour change, and left-right symmetry.
2. Put your hands behind you and stick your arms forward to observe whether the skin is depressed.
3. Raise the breast arm above your head and use the bottom of the first joint of the second, third, and fourth fingers on the other side to draw a circle clockwise from the outer top of the breast and examine inward.
4. Check for lumps in the upper/lower part of the clavicle and in the lower part of the armpit.
5. Observe the presence of abnormal secretions in the nipples.
|
bellho@sportschosun.com
