1. What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor of the breast. A tumor can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Most breast cancers start in the milk ducts, with a small percentage developing in the milk sacs or lobules. Breast cancer, if detected and treated late, may have metastasized to the bones and other organs, and the pain will multiply.
2. Warning signs of breast cancer
2.1. Chest pain
The chest area has a dull pain with no clear pattern. It is more likely that this is a warning signal for early-stage malignant breast cancer. If the chest pain, burning is persistent or is getting worse, you should see a doctor right away.
2.2. Change of skin area
Most people with this disease often change the color and texture of the skin in the chest area. The skin often has many wrinkles or dimples, the surrounding skin often has blisters, itching that does not end.
2.3. Swollen or swollen lymph nodes
Swollen lymph nodes are not only a sign of common illnesses like colds and infections, but also breast cancer. If you have a lump or painful bump under your skin that lasts for several days without knowing the cause, this could be a warning sign of breast cancer.
2.4. Back, shoulder or neck pain
Some women with this disease, instead of chest pain, often feel back or shoulder pain. The pain often occurs in the upper back or between the shoulder blades, which can be confused with ligament strain or diseases directly related to the spine.
Chest pain is a symptom of breast cancer
3. Breast Cancer Stages
Unlike other types of cancer, breast cancer is a completely curable disease if detected early, about 80% of patients are completely cured if detected in the early stages.
3.1. Breast cancer stage 0 (Early stage)
At this early stage, breast cancer cells are detected by the doctor in the milk ducts. We call this non-invasive breast cancer, or otherwise known as carcinoma in situ. The patient will be treated for breast cancer to prevent the spread of the disease. Often patients only need to remove the tumor and use additional radiation therapy.
3.2. Stage 1 breast cancer
In stage 1A, the tumor is still as small as 2cm and the lymph nodes have not been affected. When the disease has progressed to stage 1B, there will not only be a tumor in the breast but also a tumor in the axillary lymph nodes. These are still 2 early stages of disease detection. Your doctor will use surgery combined with several therapies to treat the disease.
3.3. Stage 2 breast cancer
In stage 2, the tumors are 2 to 5 centimeters in size and may not have spread to the lymph nodes or to the axillary nodes. This stage is divided into 2 sub-stages: 2A and 2B.
Stage 2A: No primary tumor and fewer than 4 lymph nodes. Tumor size less than 2cm and less than 4 lymph nodes. The tumor is 2 to 4 cm and has not spread to the lymph nodes or lymph nodes under the arm.
Stage 2B: At stage, the tumor is 2 to 4cm in size and clusters of cancer cells are found in the lymph nodes, 1-3 lymph nodes in the armpit or near the breastbone. Or, the tumor is larger than 5cm and has not invaded the lymph nodes.
Patients with stage 2 disease should be combined with surgical treatment, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hormones.
3.4. Stage 3 breast cancer
When you are diagnosed with stage 3 disease, the tumor in the body has spread to 4 to 9 lymph nodes in the armpit or to the lymph nodes inside the breast.
In stage 3, the patient's treatment is the same as in stage 2. If your doctor finds a large primary tumor, you will have chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before proceeding. surgery.
3.5. Stage 4 (end stage) breast cancer
This stage is considered the final stage of the cancer. Cancer cells have spread and metastasized to many organs in the patient's body. Breast cancer often metastasizes to the bones, brain, lungs, and liver. At this stage, your doctor will assign you aggressive systemic treatment, which is a common method for patients being treated for late-stage breast cancer.
4. Causes of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is often acquired in women who have given birth late, are not fertile, or are not breastfeeding.
Inherited genes: If your mother or grandmother or siblings have this disease, you should also go to the hospital to get checked, because this disease can be passed on in family members.
Early menarche or late menopause can also be the cause.
People with a history of breast-related diseases such as cystic fibrosis, ...
Living in a toxic and polluted environment also creates conditions for the development of breast cancer.
Obesity, inactivity, eating foods that are poor in vitamins, smoking, and drinking alcohol are also at risk of breast cancer.
5. Subjects at risk of breast cancer
People with a family history of breast cancer.
People with fertility problems (infertility, infertility or having their first child when they are over 35 years old).
People with a personal history of cysts or fibroadenomas of the breast, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, ...
People have to be exposed to a lot of toxic chemicals and radiation.
6. Breast cancer treatment
6.1. Breast cancer surgery
For small tumors, the doctor will recommend surgical removal. If the cancer has spread, the doctor will perform mammography (this is a technique to completely remove the breast including the skin, nipple and milk glands).
The surgeons will perform a skin-saving mastectomy to make the reconstruction of the mammary gland more convenient, and at the same time, they can also scrape the biopsy lymph nodes to analyze the cells to detect whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or not. . In some cases, women with breast cancer may choose to have their normal breast removed (also called "prophylactic mastectomy") if the risk is high, such as a family history of breast cancer. or carry a mutated gene associated with the disease.
6.2.Radiotherapy
This method uses high-energy beams such as X-rays and protons to kill cancer cells. After the patient has had a mammogram, these beams will be used for external irradiation to ensure that the cancer cells have been destroyed.
6.3.Chemotherapy
Using drugs to kill cancer cells. Target audience is people whose cancer cells have a high risk of recurrence or spread to other parts of the body. Sometimes chemotherapy is also prescribed first to shrink a large tumor to facilitate its removal during surgery. Chemotherapy is often prescribed when cancer cells have spread, the aim is to better control accompanying symptoms.
7. How to prevent breast cancer
Eat more green vegetables, increase foods rich in phytoestrogènes
Breast cancer screening, and regular health check-ups: Because the "preclinical" period of breast cancer lasts from 8-10 years, screening is of high value in detecting and treating effective disease. If the disease is detected in stage 1, the cure rate can be up to more than 80%, in stage 2 this rate is 60%, while preserving the breast. In stage 3, the possibility of cure is very low. By stage 4, treatment is only about prolonging life and reducing pain.
Increase knowledge about the disease to detect early signs related to the disease.
Build yourself a healthy lifestyle:
Eat more green vegetables, increase foods rich in phytoestrogens.
Consider hormone therapy for menopause: Adding the hormone estrogen to the body can increase breast cell division, leading to an increased risk of stimulating the growth of abnormal cells. cause breast cancer.
Note that some medications, such as antidepressants and diuretics, increase the risk of breast cancer.