Breast cancer---those cognitive misunderstandings that you must guard against...

Breast Disease

It has become one of the important issues affecting women's health

The most serious disease among them is breast cancer!

Let’s take a look today

Common misconceptions about breast cancer

Myth 1: Breast pain means breast cancer

Breast cancer is usually painless. Most women experience cyclical breast pain, especially before menstruation. This is due to physiological breast hyperplasia caused by changes in hormone levels in the body. This phenomenon will naturally subside after the menstrual period ends and generally does not require special treatment.

Myth 2: Feeling a breast nodule means breast cancer

Not necessarily! Breast nodules are common in benign breast diseases (such as breast hyperplasia, breast fibroadenoma, phyllodes tumor, etc.) and breast malignant tumors (breast cancer). The most common breast nodule is breast fibroadenoma, which is characterized by multiple or single nodules, good mobility, smooth surface, clear boundaries, no tenderness, and is more common in young and middle-aged women.

Breast malignant tumors (breast cancer), unlike the above-mentioned fibroadenomas, usually occur in one breast and are more common in middle-aged and elderly women. They have unclear boundaries and poor mobility when palpated, are often adhered to the skin, grow rapidly, and are painless. They may be accompanied by symptoms such as nipple discharge and nipple retraction.

Therefore, the above analysis can only help patients make a preliminary judgment on the benign or malignant nature of the nodule, and ultimately the doctor has to make a professional judgment.

Myth 3: If you have breast cancer, you must have your breast removed

Many patients tend to think that the earlier and more cleanly the breast cancer is removed, the better, and they ask for a complete mastectomy. According to statistics, the overall survival time of patients after breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy is the same, so there is no such thing as the cleaner the breast is removed, the better.

If the conditions are met, doctors will recommend breast-conserving surgery to reduce the psychological burden of breast loss. If the conditions are not met, other surgical methods such as prosthetic breast reconstruction and autologous tissue breast reconstruction can be used.

Myth 4: Breast massage can unclog the mammary glands and prevent breast cancer

There is no medical evidence to prove that breast massage can treat or prevent breast diseases. On the contrary, some women may develop mastitis due to excessive breast massage!

How do women perform breast self-examination?

Women are encouraged to perform breast self-examination once a month. Premenopausal women should perform breast examination 7-10 days after the onset of menstruation, and postmenopausal women should perform breast examination at a fixed time each month.

Self-examination method

1. Feel the breast to see if there are any lumps or enlarged axillary lymph nodes.

2. Check whether the breast shape and local skin have changed, such as the phenomenon of breast skin depression (dimple-like), breast skin redness and swelling, orange peel-like changes, and whether the nipple has retracted.

3. Squeeze the nipples to see if there is any abnormal discharge, such as brown, red or bloody discharge.

If you find any breast problems during self-examination, you need to go to the hospital for examination, including breast ultrasound, breast mammography X-ray, and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Doing an effective physical examination is the best way to "nip" breast cancer in the bud.

Treatment options for breast cancer

Treatments for breast cancer include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and targeted therapy. In the treatment of breast cancer, doctors often adopt scientific and effective treatment methods based on the actual condition of each patient to achieve the best treatment effect.