What causes breast cancer and how to maintain breasts?

Breast Cancer Prevention Handbook

Be willing to eat "blockade" breast cancer and be willing to eat "good food"

There is a joke that the incidence of breast cancer in Shanghai is about the same as The weight of Shanghainese people is "promoting" together. Someone may ask, what is the relationship between weight and breast cancer? The relationship is really quite significant, just look at this set of data: if 70 kilograms is used as the standard weight, for every 10 kilogram increase, the incidence of breast cancer will increase by 20%, and for every 10 kilogram increase in the weight of a woman around 60 years old, the incidence of breast cancer will increase. The risk of breast cancer will increase by 80%. This number is still scary!

Why is Shanghai the national “champion” in breast cancer incidence? In my opinion, it is largely related to the improvement of living standards of our residents and changes in the food structure. Statistics show that fat accounted for 9.5% of total energy in the diet of Shanghai residents in 1959, rose to 24.2% in 1982, and reached 31.2% in 1992, exceeding the recommendations of the World Health Organization. The 30% limit is close to the level of developed countries in Europe and the United States. Although there are no statistics now, this data must be higher. Excess fat in the human body can be converted into estrogen-like hormones and stimulate breast tissue hyperplasia. The results are needless to say. In addition, excessive intake of fat can also reduce the body's immune function and create an opportunity for cancer. From the perspective of breast cancer prevention, lesbians still need to maintain the traditional low-fat, high-fiber dietary habits.

For lesbians who have gained weight, I advise them to eat less meat and high-fat foods, and to go to the hospital for regular check-ups. Many people are very reluctant: "You are not allowed to eat this and you are not allowed to eat that. What's the point of living?" I told them that if they are reluctant to give up this "good taste", there is another way, that is to exercise more and have a healthy diet. Exercise regularly and for long periods of time. Among all walks of life, athletes have the lowest incidence of breast cancer. They exercise a lot every day, consume excess fat, have no body fat, and keep estrogen in their bodies at a low level. Of course, they will not be "infected" with breast cancer. Statistics from foreign countries show that women of childbearing age who perform an average of 4 hours of physical exercise per week can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 60%.

Avoid drinking alcohol: Drinking alcohol is much more harmful to women than to men. Women who drink alcohol have a higher risk of breast cancer than those who rarely drink. Those who drink one or more drinks a day have a risk of breast cancer that is more than 45% higher than those who rarely drink. This risk is higher among premenopausal women. Most notably. It is currently believed that alcohol can stimulate the secretion of prolactin in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, and prolactin is related to breast cancer. Therefore, women, especially those before and after menopause, should stop drinking or drink less.

Drink less coffee: Coffee, cocoa, and chocolate contain a large amount of caffeine. Xanthine can promote breast hyperplasia, and breast hyperplasia is related to breast cancer. If women, especially premenopausal women, consume too much of these foods, the risk of breast cancer will be greatly increased along with the large intake of caffeine. Therefore, women, especially those over middle age, should drink less coffee and eat less chocolate.

Eat more cabbage and soy products: Cabbage contains a compound, accounting for about 1% of the weight of cabbage, that can help break down estrogen. Soy products contain isoflavones, which can effectively inhibit the occurrence of breast cancer. In addition, fruits and vegetables such as corn, edible fungi, seaweed, garlic, tomatoes, oranges and berries also have an effect.

Eat more fish: According to relevant reports, women in the United States, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand and other countries who eat less fish have a higher incidence of breast cancer, while those who eat more fish have higher incidence rates of breast cancer. In Japan, the incidence of breast cancer among women is lower. Experts say that fish contains a fatty acid that can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. Eating more fish regularly is very beneficial to preventing breast cancer.

Don’t eat health care products indiscriminately

Now that everyone’s living standards are high, many women who love beauty are worried about their “young death” and often take some female health care products, especially after entering menopause. Later, when symptoms such as insomnia and mental stress appear, they become even more panicked. Out of concern, relatives and friends often give them health care products as gifts. As everyone knows, if you don't get it right, you will "spend money to buy your suffering" and "do bad things with good intentions." Not long ago, I met a female patient, who is in her 40s. She pays great attention to her diet and has no family history. She doesn’t believe that she has breast cancer. She said: “I have been taking ×× for the past six months. Could it be possible to get sick after eating this brand of oral liquid?” I immediately told her, “That’s the problem. This problem is most likely caused by health supplements.”

I said. This statement is well-founded. Many women’s health care products on the market now, including many well-known well-known brands, contain a certain amount of estrogen. Estrogen is a “double-sided edge” and can indeed prolong women’s “puberty.” ", but it also leads to breast duct epithelial cell proliferation and even canceration. Therefore, everyone must not believe in advertisements. The choice of health products should also vary from person to person. If you can't eat it, try not to eat it. You must eat it and understand the ingredients. If you are not sure, ask your doctor. Take it under the guidance of the doctor, and eat it randomly by yourself, but be careful and regret it later.

Don’t give birth too late.

Many urban women are unwilling to have children or postpone having children until after the age of 30 due to the tight work pace and keeping in shape. This is very important. Because this is likely to cause them to lose an opportunity to enhance their ability to resist breast cancer. Why do you say this? A woman's first full-term pregnancy can cause the breast epithelium to undergo a series of changes and mature, making the epithelial cells more resistant to genetic mutations and producing a large amount of progesterone. Progesterone is very useful for protecting breast health and is an estrogen. The "enemy" of hormones, estrogen causes breast tissue to proliferate, while progesterone comes out to "reduce swelling." Therefore, although pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding are hard work, what they bring to female compatriots is not only a lovely next generation, but also greatly enhances women's ability to resist disease. The earlier this ability is acquired, the more beneficial it is to prevent the occurrence of breast cancer.

The Singapore Cancer Research Center conducted a survey and found that the risk of breast cancer in women who have not given birth is much greater than that of women who have given birth. This risk increases with age, and after the age of 30 Women who have just given birth are 2 to 5 times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who gave birth to their first child before the age of 20. The incidence of breast cancer among women in the east and west of Germany is significantly different. Women in the former East Germany have a much lower rate of breast cancer. Later it was found that this was mainly because women in the former East Germany generally gave birth earlier, and the average number was 3 to 5. A child. Therefore, I advise lesbians to take this into consideration when choosing whether and when to have children.

Start from the baby

After seeing this title, some people may say that I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but I want to seriously warn everyone: this issue must attract enough attention from parents . Breast cancer is mainly an adult disease, but it has shown a trend of younger patients. The youngest patient I treated was only 15 years old. How could such a young person get this disease? I was surprised at first, but after getting to know her more carefully, I found out that she had typical precocious puberty and had menarche at the age of 11. Normally, her grandparents, grandparents, parents, and parents love her very much and make her take nutritional supplements and supplements. I told them that you are doing a disservice to a "precious" child like you. The child's disease may be caused by eating too many supplements and supplements. Related to excessive intake of sex hormones. Parents were stunned when they heard this!

Nowadays, children are generally only children. Parents naturally regard them as the apple of their eyes and work hard to provide their children with nutrition. High-fat and high-calorie diets are not included. They also blindly buy children's food from the market to replenish their children's health. Many of these supplements contain hormones that accelerate girls' growth and development. According to statistics, the age of menarche for girls in Shanghai has been advanced from 16 to 13 years old. The arrival of menarche indicates that the child has begun sexual development and estrogen has begun to act on breast tissue.

The prolongation of a woman’s menstrual history means that the breast tissue is exposed to the effects of estrogen for a longer period of time, and the possibility of disease is greater. Research has shown that if a woman reaches menarche one year earlier, her likelihood of developing breast cancer in her lifetime increases by 20%. Therefore, when I say that the prevention of breast cancer should start from childhood, I am by no means an alarmist.

Breast cancer is not “only for women”

Can men also get breast cancer? ! Many people may not believe their eyes, but that is the fact. Breast cancer is not a "patent" for women. Breast cancer can occur anywhere there is breast tissue. Women's breast tissue is the most common site of breast cancer. However, men also have breast duct epithelial tissue, which can also become cancerous, usually after the age of 50.

So, which gay men are most likely to become breast cancer patients? Men with underdeveloped testicles, cryptorchidism, testicular atrophy and other problems should pay special attention; after male liver function is damaged, the ability to inactivate estrogen is reduced, which can also lead to excess estrogen in the body, trigger mammary gland development, and may eventually form breast cancer. In addition, some gay men have become breast cancer patients unknowingly. For example, gay men who use estrogen to treat prostatic hypertrophy or prostate cancer, and gay men who use isoniazid, perphenazine and other drugs for a long time should also be careful.

The incidence of male breast cancer is very low, only about 1% of the incidence of female breast cancer. However, due to the small size of male breasts and short lymphatic vessels, cancer cells are more likely to spread. What's worse is that this disease is easily ignored. I have treated more than 50 male patients. Most of them delayed the optimal treatment time to varying degrees. An old comrade found a lump on his nipple and thought it was a skin disease. He was too embarrassed to see a doctor, so he bought medicine and applied it for three months. When it didn't work, he went to the hospital. , he was diagnosed with breast cancer, but he still didn’t believe it, and he died of this disease. In fact, if you had come to see it earlier, it wouldn't be like this. Therefore, if gay men find abnormalities in their nipples, don't be shy and see a doctor as soon as possible.

Develop a good habit of self-examination

Generally, breast self-examination is done once a month. The best time for menstruating women should be 9-11 days after the onset of menstruation. Check, because the breasts are relatively soft at this time and it is easy to find lesions. Women who have stopped menstruating can choose any day of the month for regular check-ups. Generally, it is more convenient and feasible to perform breast self-examination in the following three situations:

(1) Check your breasts while taking a bath, especially before the shower gel is washed away, as it is easy to move your hands on wet skin. Move your flat hand gently to examine each part of the breast. Check the left breast with your right hand and the right breast with your left hand to check for lumps, hardness or thickening of the breast.

(2) Check in front of the mirror, with your hands hanging on both sides of your body in front of the mirror, and then slowly raise your upper limbs above your head to observe the changes in the shape of the breasts, including the outline of the breasts, whether there are swellings, Is there any skin dimpling or nipple retraction? Next, put your hands on your hips and observe whether the breasts on both sides are symmetrical.

(3) Check while lying down. When lying down, put a pillow or soft object under the shoulder blade on the side of the breast to be examined. Then place the hand on the same side behind your head to spread the breast tissue more evenly across the chest. Gently press your flat hand on the skin and gradually move your hand around the nipple to check. The examination starts from the outer upper part of the breast, clockwise for the right breast, and counterclockwise for the left breast; starting from the periphery of the breast, gradually inward to the nipple. Finally, gently squeeze the nipple between your thumb and index finger to check for nipple discharge. If there is overflow, you should observe whether it is clear or turbid, whether it is yellowish, milky white, or bloody. Once any abnormality is discovered, seek medical attention immediately.

At present, breast cancer has become the “number one killer” that harms women’s health. Experts remind women that they should pay full attention to the prevention of breast cancer, and prevention work can be divided into three levels.

Statistics show that there are 1 million new breast cancer patients worldwide every year (including 200,000 in my country), and 200,000 people die from this disease every year. In the United States, one in nine women will develop breast cancer.

A questionnaire survey on breast health care, breast self-examination and breast disease-related knowledge among normal women showed that more than 40% of the respondents did not understand that breastfeeding is an effective means to prevent and reduce breast cancer. 63% are able to do breast self-examination, 19% of them insist on regular self-examination, and 36% have never done breast self-examination. Among normal women, 82% are worried about getting breast cancer, especially when their relatives or people around them are diagnosed with breast cancer, and about 87% will feel nervous.

Gao Hong and Dr. Lu Dapeng, deputy directors of the Cancer Center of Beijing Railway General Hospital, said that breast cancer is not as scary as people think, and it can be prevented in three levels: primary prevention is to prevent the cause; Primary prevention is also called "census" or "early diagnosis", and tertiary prevention is the clinical treatment after disease diagnosis. Primary prevention requires attention to personal living habits, which is a long-term process, and cannot be implemented due to some genetic factors (family history) and social factors (family planning policy). Tertiary prevention is passive treatment of diseases. Some patients are seriously ill and cannot achieve radical cure. Secondary prevention is a feasible and effective method to control breast cancer, which can achieve the goals of early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment.

Experts recommend that women over 20 years old should perform breast self-examination as part of daily breast care, once a month, usually 4 to 7 days after the end of menstruation. If you find abnormal breast lumps, discharge from non-lactating nipples, swollen axillary lymph nodes, and upper limb edema, you need to go to the hospital immediately for further examination.

Gao Hong and Lu Dapeng revealed to reporters that traditional breast cancer surgery involves complete removal of the breast plus axillary resection. The plump, straight and elastic breasts will no longer exist after the surgery. Therefore, most patients are psychologically affected to varying degrees. A sense of inferiority, loss, and social abandonment plagued them for the rest of their lives. Especially for young women, the blow is cruel and devastating, and some suffer from depression and even take extreme paths. To this end, several generations of surgeons have continuously improved their medical techniques after a century of exploration and hard work. In the past 20 years, breast-conserving surgery has been widely performed around the world. With the popularization of breast self-examination, more and more breast cancers are being discovered at an early stage. This not only significantly extends the survival period of breast cancer patients, but also allows a considerable number of breast cancer patients to retain their breasts and armpits, thus allowing them to Maintains sexy charm and confidence.