Early diagnosis and prevention of breast cancer

Early diagnosis and prevention of breast cancer in our time are becoming more relevant, as in recent decades, it is notedtsya a significant increase in the appearance of benign and malignant tumors of the breast, especially representatives of the economically advanced countries.

So, breast cancer is diagnosed in 11% of women, and this disappointing statistics, unfortunately, continues to grow steadily, increasing annually by 1.2%.

Breast cancer in men also occurs, albeit much less often, in about 1 case out of 180. Therefore, every woman should closely monitor the condition of her breast and regularly visit a doctor - a mammologist, a specialist in breast diseases.

What you need to know about cancer and other diseases of the breast ^

As a rule, various seals in the mammary glands of a woman discover themselves and immediately panic, thinking that they have breast cancer. But, fortunately, breast diseases most often are benign( in 80 - 90% of cases) and do not threaten the life of a woman.

It is necessary to know that benign tumors grow only within the mammary gland, without going beyond it, they never involve other tissues and organs in the tumor process and are easily cured.

According to doctors, the main cause of their appearance are complex dyshormonal processes in the female body. The most common non-malignant tumors of the breast include mastitis, cyst, lipoma, fibroadenoma and intraprostatic papilloma.

If the tumor has a malignant character, then its cells begin to grow rapidly in the surrounding tissues, and also penetrate the blood and lymphatic vessels into other organs, most often the liver, lungs, bones and brain. There they are fixed and begin to grow rapidly, forming new tumors, called metastases. Since the process of growth of malignant cells is uncontrollable, breast cancer must be detected and eliminated as early as possible, at the initial stage.

Therefore, if you find a tumor in your chest suddenly or some unusual symptoms, do not delay the visit to the doctor and do not waste precious time. At present, thanks to the achievements of medical science and modern diagnostic technologies, early detection of a cancerous tumor in 9 cases out of 10 allows to successfully heal and save the breast.

Diagnosis of early breast cancer ^

Doctors say that in order to detect breast cancer( PMD) or sarcoma at the initial stage and prevent the rapid development of the pathological process, each woman should perform only three effective actions on a regular basis:

• to carry out self-examination of the chest,
• to visit the doctor - mammologist,
• to do mammography.

Particularly attentive to the state of their breasts should be women at risk for breast cancer. You are at risk for breast cancer if:

• you have early menstruation( before 12 years) or late menopause( after 55 years);

• in the family there are cases of breast cancer among close relatives of the first line - mother, grandmother, aunt, sisters;

• previously you had other diseases of the breast or ovarian cancer;

• absence of birth and pregnancy, or late first birth - at the age after 30 years;

• refusal of breastfeeding;

• age after 40 years.

Breast self-examination ^

Breast self-examination should be done monthly, on the same days, preferably one week after the end of menstruation. It includes several stages:

• external examination of the chest,
• feeling,
• check for the presence or absence of discharge from the nipples.

Independent monthly examinations will help you to thoroughly study the individual structure of your breasts and you will always know if you have a new education or have been there for a long time.

• First, stand in front of the mirror and carefully examine the breasts visually - is there no asymmetry, redness, swelling, retraction or bulging, wrinkles or pulling the nipple inwards.

• Then lie on your back and relax. Pads of the first 3 to 4 fingers begin to consistently feel the mammary gland, not missing any part( the right gland with the left hand, the left one on the contrary) and paying attention to any changes in its structure - compaction or softening, changes in consistency or soreness in palpation. Stand up and repeat the same manipulations while standing.

• Squeeze the nipple between the thumb and forefinger, lightly press, as for expressing the milk, and see if the discharge has appeared. If any discharge( blood, pus, mucus or colorless colostrum) appears from the nipple, be sure to inform your doctor.

If any changes, such as tension and pain in the chest, discharge from the nipples, a change in the skin around the nipple and areola, an increase in the lymph nodes under the armpits have not disappeared during the full menstrual cycle, it is necessary to visit the mammologist and inform about the symptoms.

Because the mammary glands and the genital area have a direct connection, it may sometimes be necessary to have an additional consultation with a gynecologist, endocrinologist or other doctors. If your doctor - mammologist recommends that you examine other specialists, do not neglect his advice, it is in your best interest.

Ultrasound and breast mammography ^

Unfortunately, self-examination can detect already large enough neoplasms, therefore, in addition to it, other methods of examination are needed, in particular, ultrasounddiagnosis of breast ultrasound and mammography, which allow to recognize the disease in the bud. The combination of mammography and ultrasound gives almost 100% detection of early tumors.

• All women under 40 years of age are advised to have an annual ultrasound,
• at the age of more than 40 years shows a mammogram every 1-2 years.

This differentiation is due to the fact that in women up to 40 years of age, breast tissue is very dense, which makes it difficult to study by mammography. And after 40 - 45 years, the glandular tissue in the chest becomes more friable and allows you to trap the radiation of the mammogram in it.

Mammography is a painless high-quality breast examination using the X-ray, which allows to define both malignant and benign formations in the chest at the very initial stages, when they are small and which the doctor can not determine with ordinary palpation for another 1 to 2 years.

In addition, mammography is not only the most accurate, but also the safest method of diagnosing breast diseases, since the radiation load of the device is very low and does not pose a health hazard to patients.

Mammography images must be kept and carried with you on subsequent examinations - this will help the doctor to track the dynamics of changes in the mammary gland and make the correct diagnosis.

In case of detection of suspicious formations, a doctor under the supervision of ultrasound can immediately be punctured, or biopsy. To do this, using a thin needle, a small amount of suspicious tissue is taken, which is subsequently examined under a microscope in special cytology laboratories to determine the exact nature of the cells.

Prevention of breast cancer and other diseases ^

Prevention of breast disease, other than early detection of breast cancer, should include the following points:

Proper nutrition

• Do not abuse animal fats, fried, salted and smoked food.
• Include in your menu more fresh vegetables, fruits, berries and greens.
• Onions, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes that contain natural antioxidants - substances that neutralize the effect of free radicals, provoking the degeneration of healthy cells into cancer cells - are especially useful.

Breastfeeding

• Lactation is the most powerful method of preventing breast cancer, because breast milk secretion is a very complex hormonal process of the whole body.
• If you artificially interrupt the physiological process of breastfeeding without serious medical evidence, you can provoke a strong stress hormonal system, which, in turn, can lead to an incorrect division of cells and their degeneration into malignant cells.

Wearing the right linen

• The doctors proved that an incorrectly selected bra( tight, pressing on the lymph nodes or having dense embossed seams) excessively injures tender breast tissue and irritates nerve fibers.
• Therefore, choose only quality underwear that fits your breast size and shape and provides anatomically correct support.

Gymnastics

• Be sure to include in your daily gym complex at least a few exercises to strengthen the pectoral muscles.
• If the mammary gland is surrounded by strong and strong muscles, it will be an excellent prevention of cancer and other breast diseases.

In addition:

• follow the hormonal background( regularly pass tests for female sex hormones),
• , if you have a family history of breast cancer, check blood for oncomarkers once a year,
• give birth to a child under 30,
• do not allow breast trauma,
• protect yourself from stress.

Remember that the more closely you watch your health and the sooner you find negative changes, the higher the chance of a complete cure for any diseases.

Video on the topic: Breast Cancer: Diagnosis, Prevention