October is World Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the data of WHO, in 2020, the number of new cases of breast cancer in the world is as high as 2.26 million, which is more than the 2.2 million cases of lung cancer, and breast cancer has already replaced lung cancer to become the world’s top cancer. And in China, the number of new breast cancer patients is about 400,000 per year.

Many people think that breast cancer is a disease only for women, can men get breast cancer?

The answer is yes. According to statistics, male breast cancer patients account for about 1% of breast cancer patients in China, mostly middle-aged and old people.

Clinical findings, young men suffering from breast disease is mainly related to obesity, dietary habits, while the elderly breast disease patients, most of the long-term alcohol abuse and oral hormone drugs related. Alcohol is easy to make the liver metabolic function is impaired, and the liver bears the male body estrogen decomposition, excretion task, excessive alcohol consumption will lead to estrogen accumulation in the body, causing breast enlargement, increase the risk of breast cancer.

Shi Xiaoguang, Director of Breast Surgery, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Male breast cancer occurs mostly in middle-aged and elderly men between the ages of 60 and 70, and although male breast glands are relatively small, the epithelial tissues may still develop malignant changes. It is important to note that men rarely go for mammograms, which leads to many male breast cancer patients being in the late stages or advanced stages when they are diagnosed.

Therefore, men should learn to check themselves through some symptoms in their daily life, such as obvious lumps in the chest, nipple discharge, etc., and should seek medical treatment in time when encountering these situations.

Long-term use of poor-quality cosmetics will increase the risk of breast cancer Compared with men who are prone to alcoholism, many women wear makeup for a long time, which will also increase the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is closely related to estrogen levels. Infertility or late age at first birth, short breastfeeding periods, etc. can increase the exposure of estrogen in the body and increase the risk of breast cancer.

Lin Hua, Director of Breast Minimally Invasive Center, Fuxing Hospital, Capital Medical University: Some people with heavy menopausal symptoms will take estrogen, lack of effective monitoring of the mammary glands, some health care products, nutritional supplements, low-quality cosmetics contain estrogen, which, if used over a long period of time, will also promote the development of breast cancer.

Breast nodules are divided into benign and malignant, suggesting that the risk of malignancy needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. With the popularity of medical checkups, many women will regularly undergo breast ultrasound, and some will find breast nodules. Do nodules always develop into cancer? What should I do if I have breast nodules?
Breast nodules include breast cancer as well as benign tumors such as hyperplastic nodules, breast cysts and fibroadenomas. Benign breast nodules are round and smooth to the touch, with clear borders and good mobility; malignant breast nodules are irregular to the touch, with unclear borders, strong blood flow signals and low mobility. Most of the nodules are benign, especially those that have existed for a long time without significant enlargement. Generally, benign breast nodules do not require special treatment, and regular checkups are sufficient.

As we age, the level of estrogen in our bodies decreases and the nodules gradually dissipate. Many people think that the nodules will turn into cancer sooner or later, but in fact, the nature of the nodules will not change, which means that nodules that are clearly benign will not become cancerous. However, the nature of the nodules can only be determined through pathological diagnosis. If the examination suggests that a breast nodule is at risk of malignancy, it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible to avoid delay in treatment.

Breast cancer has family hereditary characteristics, and maternal inheritance is especially obvious. As we all know, high blood pressure and diabetes, which plague a lot of people, are hereditary diseases, so will breast cancer also be inherited by the family?
Epidemiologic survey found that 5%-10% of breast cancer is familial. If one close relative suffers from breast cancer, the risk of the disease increases 1.5-3 times; if two close relatives suffer from breast cancer, the risk of the disease increases 7 times. The younger the age of onset, the greater the risk of breast cancer among relatives.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital Breast Surgery Chief Specialist Huang Hanyuan: It is more obvious from the maternal inheritance, if the mother or the mother’s sister has a problem, the chances of getting the disease themselves are greater. I saw a patient, six sisters, between the age of 30 to 50 years old, six people have four breast cancer.

Experts suggest that women with a family history of breast cancer can undergo genetic testing to find out if they carry abnormal genes so that they can take appropriate preventive measures.

If your breast is sick, you can feel it

Women over the age of 20 can do breast self-examination once a month to help detect breast problems at an early stage. Usually 9 to 11 days after menstruation is the best time for self-examination.

1、Look

It is best to do this in front of a large mirror to observe whether the breasts are symmetrical bilaterally, whether there is any difference in the skin color of the breasts, and whether there are any dimples on the surface of the breasts.

2、Touch

Lift one hand and put all four fingers except the thumb together, and touch the breast in a circular motion from the inside to the outside to check for lumps and hard nodules.

3、Squeeze

Squeeze the areola to see if any fluid is discharged.

4、Press

Press on the outside of the breast as well as the armpit to check for lumps.

reminders

Feeling a lump doesn’t necessarily mean it’s cancer

There are many diseases that cause breast lumps, such as breast fibroids and breast hyperplasia, but none of them have much to do with breast cancer. So not all breast lumps need to be dealt with. In the case of fibroids, for example, if a young woman’s fibroid does not exceed 2cm, surgery is generally not recommended.

Cancer risk even if you can’t feel a lump

The main clinical manifestation of breast cancer is breast lumps, but it is not the only clinical manifestation. Therefore, even if no breast lump is found during self-examination, there is still a risk of cancer. Therefore, it is best to go to the hospital regularly for relevant checkups.

The cure rate of early detection of breast cancer is 95% (5 years survival), so breast self-examination is of great significance. Of course, even if all the self-examination methods are correct, there is still a possibility that it is not detected. For women over 40 years of age, it is best to have annual or biennial mammogram screening.

Protect your mammary glands by doing these 4 things

1、Control your weight

Obesity is one of the risk factors for breast cancer, and studies have found that women with thicker waists also have a higher risk of breast cancer, which is two times that of those with thin waists.

2、Appropriate exercise

In 2016, a survey of 1.44 million people in Europe and the United States showed that exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 10%.

It is recommended to insist on exercising 3~5 days a week, 20~30 minutes a day, with low-intensity aerobic exercise as the main focus, and colleagues eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, do not eat moldy food, do not eat pickled, smoked, baked products or low-fat diet.

3、Quit smoking and drinking

Smoking and alcoholism are risk factors for breast cancer, so you should quit smoking and drinking, and try to avoid inhaling second-hand smoke.

4、Keep a good mood

More than half of the high incidence of breast cancer is caused by negative emotional energy! Therefore, some people say that breast cancer is “gas” out.

To maintain an optimistic mental state, avoid long-term fatigue, mental stress, excessive sadness and other bad emotions, so as not to cause endocrine dysfunction leading to estrogen secretion abnormalities.

The beauty of breasts needs maintenance; a healthy body needs self-discipline.

Early Detection and Treatment High Cure Rate for Early and Middle Stage Breast Cancer

Although breast cancer has replaced lung cancer as the world’s number one cancer, experts emphasize that as long as it is detected, diagnosed and treated early, the cure rate of early and middle stage breast cancer can reach 80% or 90%.