Breast self-examination, say goodbye to cancer

1. Characteristics of breast health care for elderly women

(1) Regulate endocrine and delay physiological aging. This can be regulated through a reasonable diet, eating more foods that are beneficial to breast health.

(2) Maintain good living habits. Eat less high-fat foods, do not smoke or drink excessively, live a regular life, and maintain a happy mood. Strengthen physical exercise, try to avoid gaining weight, and maintain a good body shape.

(3) Make breast cancer prevention a priority in health care. Breast cancer is the main breast disease among elderly women. Once there are abnormal breast symptoms and the diagnosis cannot be confirmed, they should go to the hospital for a checkup once a month. The longest interval should not exceed 3 months to avoid delaying diagnosis and treatment.

2. Do only women get breast cancer?

Of course not, men can also get breast cancer. Male breast cancer may be caused by endocrine disorders, exposure to radioactive substances, abnormal diet, etc.

3. Why are older women more likely to get breast cancer?

In my country, the first peak age group for breast cancer is 45-50 years old, and the second peak age group is 60-65 years old. The cause of breast cancer in the elderly is still unclear. It is a disease related to multiple factors. It may be related to the following factors:

(1) Genetic factors: For patients with a family history, the incidence of breast cancer in their parents and offspring is also increased accordingly.

(2) Dietary factors: Because women usually like to eat spicy, fried, grilled and pickled foods, it is easy to cause metabolic disorders in the patient's body. In addition, the stimulation of food causes changes in hormone levels, which can easily lead to the occurrence of breast cancer.

(3) Disorders in the functional levels of sex hormones such as progesterone and estrogen: Due to menopause and the degeneration of the reproductive system in elderly women, the levels of related hormones in the body may change significantly, which can easily lead to lesions in the milk ducts and glandular tissues in the breast, thereby inducing breast cancer.

4. What should people at high risk of breast cancer pay attention to?

(1) Establish good living habits, adjust your life rhythm, and keep a good mood.

(2) Adhere to physical exercise, actively participate in social activities, and avoid and reduce mental and psychological stress factors.

(3) Develop good eating habits.

(4) Actively treat the original breast disease.

(5) Do not use exogenous estrogen indiscriminately. If necessary, use it under the guidance of a professional doctor.

(6) You should master the method of breast self-examination, develop the habit of regular self-examination, actively participate in physical examinations and breast cancer screening to prevent the disease before it occurs.

5. How to detect breast cancer early?

(1) First, learn to recognize the early symptoms of breast cancer: The early symptoms of breast cancer are not obvious. In the early stage, it is often manifested as a single, painless, and progressively growing lump in the affected breast. The lump is often located in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, while the nipple, areola area, and upper inner quadrant have no obvious clinical symptoms at this time. It is often discovered accidentally by the patient when taking a bath or changing clothes.

(2) Secondly, learn how to do breast self-examination:

First look: Check whether the nipple is retracted and deviated, and whether the breast skin has dimple signs (early signs) or orange peel appearance (late signs).

Second touch: Sit or lie on your back, put your five fingers together and place the palm of your hand and the front half of your hand flat on the breast to touch (do not pinch the breast to prevent mistaking the breast lobule for a lump). Check for lumps and tenderness in the breast, as well as the size, shape, texture, surface state, mobility, and clear boundaries of the lump.

Three squeezes: During the non-breastfeeding period, put your hands together, hold the breasts, and squeeze with the base of your palms with appropriate force to check whether there is any liquid overflowing from the nipples and the nature of the liquid.

6. Can breast cancer be cured?

Most breast cancers can be cured, and the cure rate for early breast cancer is higher. The key to curing breast cancer is early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment. For stage I and stage II breast cancer, the 5-year recurrence rate is about 5% through standardized treatment. The recurrence rate of advanced breast cancer can be reduced through standardized treatment, and most patients can achieve good results. Breast cancer with late stage and large tumors, invasion of the skin, chest wall, axilla, lymph nodes, or distant metastasis to the brain, bones, liver, lungs, etc. is difficult to achieve a cure, but it should also be actively treated to relieve the corresponding symptoms.