Most malignant tumors of the breast come from epithelial tissues of the breast (breast cancer), and a few can come from various non-epithelial tissues of the breast (all kinds of sarcomas), and occasionally mixed carcinosarcoma. The incidence of breast cancer is increasing year by year, and the population incidence is 23/65438+ 10,000. It accounts for 7 ~ 10% of all kinds of female malignant tumors.
What causes breast cancer?
The etiology of breast cancer is not completely clear, and some confirmed pathogenic factors are still controversial. Premenopausal and postmenopausal estrogen is an obvious factor to stimulate breast cancer. In addition, genetic factors, dietary factors, external physical and chemical factors and some benign breast diseases are all related to the occurrence of breast cancer.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The earliest manifestation of breast cancer is a single, painless and progressive small lump in the breast. The most common mass is located in the outer upper quadrant, followed by nipple, areola and inner upper quadrant. Because there are many unconscious symptoms, the lump is often found by the patient unintentionally (such as taking a shower and changing clothes). A few patients may have different degrees of tenderness or irritation and nipple discharge. Tumors grow faster, and invading surrounding tissues will cause changes in the shape of breasts and a series of signs will appear. Such as: skin depression on the tumor surface; The cancer adjacent to the nipple can pull the nipple towards the cancer; Nipple invagination etc. If the cancer mass is large, it can make the whole breast tissue contract and the mass protrude obviously. Cancer cells continue to grow, forming a so-called "orange peel" change. These are all important signs of breast cancer.
Breast cancer invades superficial skin in the late stage, which can lead to skin induration and even skin ulceration. The cancer invades deeply, which can invade the thoracic fascia and chest muscle, causing the mass to be fixed on the chest wall and difficult to push.
Lymphatic metastasis of breast cancer is mostly manifested as ipsilateral axillary lymph node enlargement, which is scattered, painless and hard at first, and the number is small, which can be promoted; After that, the swollen lymph nodes increased, adhered to each other, and attached to the skin or deep tissues of the armpit to be fixed. A few patients may have contralateral axillary lymph node metastasis.
When the distant metastasis of breast cancer reaches the lungs, chest pain, shortness of breath and hydrothorax may occur; When vertebrae are transferred, the affected part is severely painful and even paraplegic; When liver metastasis occurs, jaundice and hepatomegaly may occur.
It should be noted that some special forms of breast cancer (such as inflammatory breast cancer and papillary eczema-like cancer) have different development laws and clinical manifestations from general breast cancer.
What tests does breast cancer need to do?
Biopsy is of great significance in the differential diagnosis of breast masses with unknown nature and highly suspicious cancers.
How to treat breast cancer
There are many treatment methods and measures for breast cancer, including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. At present, comprehensive treatment based on surgery is widely used.
1. Surgical treatment: Radical mastectomy has a history of 100 years, and it is still the main treatment method for breast cancer, with the most satisfactory curative effect for early breast cancer without axillary lymph node metastasis.
2. Radiotherapy: usually used after surgery to prevent local recurrence. Radiotherapy for advanced breast cancer can shrink the tumor, and some even can transfer breast cancer that is not suitable for surgery to operable resection. It has a certain palliative effect on isolated local recurrence and bone metastasis of breast cancer. However, for patients with early breast cancer without lymphatic metastasis, conventional radiotherapy is not necessary to avoid damaging human immune function.
3. Endocrine therapy: For primary advanced breast cancer that is not suitable for surgery or radiotherapy, estrogen receptor positive patients can receive endocrine therapy alone or in combination. The drugs and methods used vary according to menstrual conditions.
4. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a necessary systemic adjuvant therapy (cyclophosphamide, lomustine, chlorambucil).
Incidence and population
Breast cancer is the most common and important breast disease, with an incidence rate of 23/65438+ 10,000. The main clinical manifestation is milk lump. This disease mostly occurs in women aged 40-60, that is, before and after menopause. The occurrence of this disease may be related to the disorder of sex hormones. Breast cancer can also occur in men, often secondary to male breast hyperplasia. Surgical treatment is still the main treatment of this disease, so early diagnosis and early surgical treatment are the key.
clinical picture
1. Painless lump appears in the breast, which increases rapidly, local skin can be sunken or "orange peel-like" changes, and nipples can be raised or invaginated.
2. The lump is hard and not smooth. Can be fixed with skin or pectoralis major.
3. The axillary lymph nodes on the same side can be enlarged.
Diagnostic basis
1. Breast painless lump, hard and not smooth.
2.x-ray molybdenum target assisted diagnosis.
3. Diagnosis can be made by needle aspiration cytology or biopsy.
Medication principle
1. Chemotherapy is a necessary systemic adjuvant therapy, which can kill cancer cells that spread in the blood circulation, which cannot be achieved by surgery or radiotherapy. Therefore, for all stages of breast cancer, a variety of drugs can be combined for anti-cancer treatment, and the drug restriction is mainly "A".
2. For breast cancer patients with bone metastasis or estrogen receptor positive, hormone therapy should be supplemented. The drug restriction is mainly "B", and advanced patients can choose "C" drugs.
accessory examination
1. Check box "A" is the main item for patients with early breast cancer;
2. Patients with advanced stage need to know the distant metastasis, and the examination items may include "A", "B" or "C".
Curative effect evaluation
1. cure: after modified radical resection, the incision healed without complications.
2. Improvement: palliative resection of tumor, wound healing, no complications, or after non-surgical treatment, the mass shrinks.
3. Non-union: the tumor has not been removed, and the mass has not shrunk after non-surgical treatment.
Can breast cancer be inherited?
There are genetic and non-genetic types of breast cancer. Generally, postmenopausal unilateral breast cancer is non-hereditary, while premenopausal bilateral breast cancer is often hereditary. If only breast cancer occurs, it is generally polygenic inheritance. In this case, the risk of their offspring suffering from this disease is 7-8 times that of ordinary people, and the incidence rate is 10%. If you have not only breast cancer, but also soft tissue sarcoma, then your offspring have a chance of getting this disease above 50%.
The older generation suffered from breast cancer when they were young, so the next generation may have a higher risk of breast cancer than others, but to accurately predict the genetic risk, we should also consider the diseases of other members of their family and the medical history of the older generation. At present, it is impossible to test whether someone may have breast cancer through medical examination. However, modern medicine has advanced diagnosis and treatment methods for breast cancer, and has developed the habit of self-examination and breast detection. It often goes to regular hospitals for regular examination to find and eliminate risk factors early. And pay attention. Because many girls have sunken nipples, it may be breast cancer.
(Traditional treatment): At the beginning, it is appropriate to soothe the liver and relieve depression. You can take Shen Xiao Fructus Trichosanthis powder, Ru Yan Fang, Huang Xi Pill, or Huang Xi Pill and Milk Soup alternately in the morning and evening. 6 toad venom for external use. One opens his belly every morning and evening, puts the skin on the wound and detoxifies it. Change it once a day. There is no cure.
Dietary therapy for breast cancer
Dietary principles of breast cancer ● Be flexible in treatment. Breast cancer patients should try to eat and supplement nutrition before and after operation. During radiotherapy, the patient's diet should be light and palatable, and it is not advisable to eat more thick and greasy products.
● Reasonable arrangement and skillful cooking. After completing the treatment plan, it is very necessary for breast cancer patients to choose foods that are beneficial to breast cancer prevention and treatment.
Eat more seafood: seaweed, kelp, jellyfish, sea cucumber, mussels, oysters and so on.
Beans: mung beans, red beans, mung bean sprouts, etc.
Dishes: taro, water chestnut, water bamboo, wax gourd, mushrooms, Hericium erinaceus, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc.
Fruits: oranges, apples, hawthorn, fresh kiwifruit, etc.
Others: tortoise, soft-shelled turtle, snakehead, coix seed, fungus and other foods.
● White ginseng or American ginseng should be taken according to the condition during treatment. After treatment, you can still supplement ginseng for every winter.
● Diet should be moderate and not excessive. Overnutrition and obesity have adverse effects on the treatment of breast cancer. In the long-term life after treatment, breast cancer patients should adhere to the principle of moderate diet on the premise of ensuring nutritional needs. In the dietary arrangement, it is necessary to know the total amount of calories, fat and sugar consumed every day to avoid overeating.
● Be flexible in cooperation with treatment. Breast cancer patients should try to eat and supplement nutrition before and after operation. During radiotherapy, the patient's diet should be light and palatable, and it is not advisable to eat more thick and greasy products.
● Reasonable arrangement and skillful cooking. After completing the treatment plan, it is very necessary for breast cancer patients to choose foods that are beneficial to breast cancer prevention and treatment.
Eat more seafood: seaweed, kelp, jellyfish, sea cucumber, mussels, oysters and so on.
Beans: mung beans, red beans, mung bean sprouts, etc.
Dishes: taro, water chestnut, water bamboo, wax gourd, mushrooms, Hericium erinaceus, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc.
Fruits: oranges, apples, hawthorn, fresh kiwifruit, etc.
Others: tortoise, soft-shelled turtle, snakehead, coix seed, fungus and other foods.
● White ginseng or American ginseng should be taken according to the condition during treatment. After treatment, you can still supplement ginseng for every winter.
● Diet should be moderate and not excessive. Overnutrition and obesity have adverse effects on the treatment of breast cancer. In the long-term life after treatment, breast cancer patients should adhere to the principle of moderate diet on the premise of ensuring nutritional needs. In the dietary arrangement, it is necessary to know the total amount of calories, fat and sugar consumed every day to avoid overeating.
Breast cancer dietotherapy breast cancer dietotherapy is an auxiliary treatment for breast cancer. Here are some dietary remedies for breast cancer: 1, Danggui decoction.
[Ingredients] Angelica sinensis 15g, Achyranthes bidentata 10g, Akebia Akebia 10g, Poria cocos 15g, adzuki bean 100g, carp 500g, onion, garlic, ginger, edible oil, salt and rice vinegar.
[Method] Wash and wrap the herbs and stew them with carp for 2 hours.
[Usage] Take the soup, 1 dose daily, and drink it twice.
[Efficacy] Promote blood circulation and reduce swelling. Used for patients with breast cancer swelling.
2. Nourishing soup
【 Ingredients 】 20g of Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, 20g of Jujube, 20g of Ligustrum lucidum 10g, 20g of Radix Astragali, 250g of chicken, cooking oil, onion, ginger, garlic and salt.
[Method] Wash the herbs, wrap them in gauze and stew them with chicken nuggets for 2 hours.
[Usage] Eat meat and drink soup, daily 1 dose, and take it twice.
[Efficacy] Invigorate qi and nourish blood. It is used for weak patients after breast cancer surgery or radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
3, pig blood porridge
[Ingredients] Pig blood100g, rice 50g, medlar15g, salt.
【 Method 】 Rice and pig blood were boiled for 1 hour, and chopped green onion and salt were added when cooked. [Usage] Edible.
[Efficacy] Enrich blood and stop bleeding. It can be used for reducing red blood cells and white blood cells in breast cancer.
4. Chenpi chicken
Ingredients: 5g of dried tangerine peel, 0/0g of angelica sinensis/kloc-0, 2g of astragalus membranaceus/kloc-0, 5g of pepper, 2 slices of ginger and 0/chicken.
Production: Slaughter the chicken, remove the hair, chop off the head and claws, wash, cut a small mouth from the lower part of the anus, take out the internal organs, then mix well with soy sauce and yellow wine, and wipe the whole body of the chicken for later use. Put a wok into a big fire, add a proper amount of tea oil or vegetable oil, heat it to 90% heat, add chicken, fry until golden brown, take it out, cook it in boiling water for 3 minutes, remove the floating oil, put the above traditional Chinese medicines into a chicken belly, put it in a crock, add a proper amount of water, boil it, skim the floating oil, cook it, sprinkle with refined salt, cook it for 2 minutes, sprinkle with chopped green onion, cooking wine and chicken.
Chicken with dried tangerine peel is bright in color, fragrant and delicious. It is suitable for the middle and late stage of breast cancer with deficiency of qi and blood, decreased hemogram and mild low fever, and can prolong life for middle-aged and elderly people.
5, bitter orange eggs
Raw materials: Rhizoma corydalis 10g, Fructus Aurantii 15g, 4 quails, and proper amount of honey.
Production: Wash Rhizoma Corydalis and Fructus Aurantii, cook quail eggs, and shell them for later use. Put the pot on a high fire, add some water, add Rhizoma Corydalis, Fructus Aurantii and eggs, cook for 20 minutes on low fire, and add honey to serve.
Fructus Aurantii eggs are delicious, which can supplement five flavors, benefit middle energizer, benefit qi, strengthen bones and muscles, eliminate heat, eliminate phlegm and relieve pain. It is suitable for breast cancer patients with chest pain.
Lianzi pork intestines
Raw materials: lotus seed 30g, yam 20g, coix seed 10g, euryales seed 15g, poria cocos 15g.
Production: Rub the refined salt or flour with the fat sausage repeatedly to remove mucus, tear off the oil tendon in the intestine at the same time, and rinse it repeatedly with water until it is clean. When the fat sausage is put into a cold water pot and heated to boiling, the floating foam in the pot is skimmed, taken out, and the fat sausage is cut into pieces of 2-4 cm while it is hot; Peel garlic and trim both ends of garlic with a knife; Wash lotus seeds, coix seed and gordon euryales, and remove impurities; Slice the yam for later use. Put the pot on high fire, add a little tea oil and heat it to 80%. Stir-fry the fat sausage. When the water on the surface of the fat sausage is dry, add fresh soup to boil, skim the floating foam, add Coicis Semen, yam, lotus seeds and Poria to cook, sprinkle with salt, pepper, star anise, pepper and cooking wine to taste, cook, and add garlic to cook until the fat sausage is cooked and soft. Sprinkle with monosodium glutamate and sesame oil and serve.
Eat the five flavors together, strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea, and increase appetite. It is suitable for patients with anorexia and fecal mucus after breast cancer surgery.
6, kelp radish porridge
Materials: kelp 15g, radish 150g, glutinous rice 100g.
Production: kelp is soaked in cold water 12 hours, washed and cut into mud; Wash the radish and cut into pieces, wash the glutinous rice and remove impurities, and put the pot on fire to boil. Cook glutinous rice, add kelp and radish to thicken it, sprinkle with salt and Jiang Mo and stir well.
Kelp radish porridge, soft and hard dispersion anti-cancer It is suitable for breast cancer patients with phlegm-dampness syndrome.
Prognosis of breast cancer
There are many factors affecting the prognosis of breast cancer, the most important of which are the tumor infiltration range and pathobiological characteristics.
(A) the scope of tumor invasion
1. tumor size: in the absence of regional lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis, the larger the primary focus, the more serious the local infiltration and the worse the prognosis.
2. Axillary lymph node metastasis: the prognosis of axillary lymph nodes is good when there is no metastasis, but poor when there is metastasis. And the more metastases, the worse the prognosis. The metastatic site is high and the prognosis is poor.
3. Distant metastasis: the death exceeds 1 year.
(II) Pathological type and differentiation degree of tumor Pathological type and differentiation degree of tumor, invasion of tumor and host's immunity to tumor are important factors affecting prognosis. The prognosis of special breast cancer is better than that of non-special breast cancer, non-invasive cancer is better than invasive cancer, and well-differentiated tumor is better than poorly differentiated tumor. Some tumors are highly malignant, and necrosis can occur when they grow rapidly. Severe tumor necrosis indicates that the tumor is aggressive and has a poor prognosis.
(3) Clinical staging TNM staging is familiar to clinicians, with high staging and poor prognosis. However, two things need to be recognized. First, the cases belong to the same stage in staging, and whether axillary lymph nodes metastasize is more important than tumor size; Second, there are often errors in clinical axillary lymph node examination for metastasis.
(4) The determination of steroid hormone receptor and prognosis steroid hormone receptor can not only be used as a reference for selecting hormone therapy, but also as an index for estimating prognosis. The prognosis of patients with positive receptor is better than that of patients with negative receptor, and the difference between them is about 10%, especially in patients with positive lymph node metastasis. Among estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor, progesterone receptor is more important, and the prognosis of those who are both positive is better than those who are both positive or negative. There are many statins that affect the prognosis of breast cancer, and the relationship between them is very complicated. All factors should be integrated to estimate the prognosis of patients.
There are many statins that affect the prognosis of breast cancer, and the relationship between them is very complicated. All factors should be integrated to estimate the prognosis of patients.
The main factors affecting the prognosis are as follows:
(1) Clinical difficulties;
(2) Age: It is generally believed that young patients have rapid tumor development, high lymph node metastasis rate and poor prognosis;
(3) Primary focus size and local infiltration: In the absence of regional lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis, the larger the primary focus, the more serious the local infiltration and the worse the prognosis;
(4) Lymph node metastasis;
(5) Pathological type and differentiation degree of tumor;
(6) Steroid hormone receptor;
(7) cell proliferation rate and DNA content;
(8) Oncogenes.
The cause of breast cancer has not been solved, so the means that can really be used for primary prevention are extremely limited. However, we can cautiously put forward several measures to reduce the risk of breast cancer, such as properly controlling the fat and protein intake of animals in adolescence, increasing physical activity, encouraging breast-feeding babies, avoiding the use of estrogen for menopausal women, appropriately increasing physical activity after menopause, controlling the total calorie and fat intake, and avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure.
Surgical treatment of breast cancer has a long history, and the scope of surgical operation is also different. In recent years, due to the new concept of breast cancer development, some people think that breast cancer is a systemic disease from the onset. At the same time, in order to preserve the appearance and upper limb function of the breast, a variety of operations smaller than total mastectomy were performed, and radiotherapy and chemotherapy were used comprehensively. In Europe and America, the application of radical surgery or modified radical surgery is decreasing day by day. The cases of local excision and radiotherapy have reached 20% ~ 30% of breast cancer patients, and breast reconstruction is also considered. At present, in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, it is not only satisfied with whether it is a malignant tumor or not, but also requires providing reference data for postoperative treatment and prognosis estimation, such as observing vascular and lymphatic infiltration, determining receptors, detecting DNA content and distribution in each phase of cell cycle by flow cytometry, and applying monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and treatment. In recent years, with the deepening of oncogene research, many genes related to the prognosis of breast cancer have been found. It is expected that in the near future, people can judge the prognosis of patients through various tests, and then choose appropriate adjuvant treatment for cases with high recurrence risk to improve the cure rate. There are the following aspects:
(1) Clinical difficulties;
(2) Age: It is generally believed that young patients have rapid tumor development, high lymph node metastasis rate and poor prognosis;
(3) Primary focus size and local infiltration: In the absence of regional lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis, the larger the primary focus, the more serious the local infiltration and the worse the prognosis;
(4) Lymph node metastasis;
(5) Pathological type and differentiation degree of tumor;
(6) Steroid hormone receptor;
(7) cell proliferation rate and DNA content;
(8) Oncogenes.
The cause of breast cancer has not been solved, so the means that can really be used for primary prevention are extremely limited. However, we can cautiously put forward several measures to reduce the risk of breast cancer, such as properly controlling the fat and protein intake of animals in adolescence, increasing physical activity, encouraging breast-feeding babies, avoiding the use of estrogen for menopausal women, appropriately increasing physical activity after menopause, controlling the total calorie and fat intake, and avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure.
Surgical treatment of breast cancer has a long history, and the scope of surgical operation is also different. In recent years, due to the new concept of breast cancer development, some people think that breast cancer is a systemic disease from the onset. At the same time, in order to preserve the appearance and upper limb function of the breast, a variety of operations smaller than total mastectomy were performed, and radiotherapy and chemotherapy were used comprehensively. In Europe and America, the application of radical surgery or modified radical surgery is decreasing day by day. The cases of local excision and radiotherapy have reached 20% ~ 30% of breast cancer patients, and breast reconstruction is also considered. At present, in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, it is not only satisfied with whether it is a malignant tumor or not, but also requires providing reference data for postoperative treatment and prognosis estimation, such as observing vascular and lymphatic infiltration, determining receptors, detecting DNA content and distribution in each phase of cell cycle by flow cytometry, and applying monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and treatment. In recent years, with the deepening of oncogene research, many genes related to the prognosis of breast cancer have been found. It is expected that in the near future, people can judge the prognosis of patients through various tests, and then choose appropriate adjuvant treatment for cases with high recurrence risk to improve the cure rate.
Breast cancer staging
Clinical staging of breast cancer refers to the growth and spread of tumor, and the staging is mainly determined according to clinical manifestations, such as the spread range of tumor, the spread along lymph and blood channels, detailed medical history, physical examination and a series of other examinations. The clinical stages of breast cancer are summarized as follows:
TNM international staging method
Staging of primary tumor (t):
Tx primary tumor unknown (resected).
T0 Primary tumor is untouchable.
Tis carcinoma in situ (including lobular carcinoma in situ and intraductal carcinoma), Paget's disease is confined to nipple, and no mass is touched in breast.
T 1 The maximum diameter of tumor is less than 2Cm.
The maximum diameter of T 1a tumor is less than 0.5cm.
The maximum diameter of T 1b tumor is 0.5 ~ 1cm.
The maximum diameter of T 1c tumor is 1 ~ 2 cm.
The largest diameter of T2 tumor is 2 ~ 5 CrN.
The maximum diameter of T3 tumor is more than 5 cm.
T4 tumor of any size directly invades the chest wall and skin.
T4a tumor directly invaded the chest wall.
T4b Skin edema on breast surface (including orange peel edema), skin ulcer or satellite nodule around tumor, but not more than ipsilateral breast.
T4c includes T4a and T4b.
T4d inflammatory breast cancer.
Regional lymph node (n) staging:
There are no palpable regional lymph nodes.
The lymph nodes in Nx area are unknown (previously removed).
N 1 ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes are swollen and movable.
N2 ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes are swollen, fused with each other, or adhered to other tissues.
N3 ipsilateral internal mammary lymph nodes have metastasis.
Distant metastasis (M) stage:
Whether Mx has distant transfer is unknown.
M0 has no distant metastasis.
M 1 distant metastasis (including ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis).
Clinical staging: According to the above different TNM, different clinical staging can be formed:
0 phase TisN0M0
The first stage T 1N0M0
T0n1m 0 in phase Ⅱ a; ; T1n1* m0 (* n1has the same prognosis as N0); T2N0M0
Phase Ⅱ b T2n1m 0; ; T3N0M0
ⅲa t0n2m 0； ; t 1n2m 0； T2N2M0T3N 1，2M0
Iibt4, any n, m0; Any t, N3M0
Ⅳ any t, any n, M 1
At this stage, Tis can only have paget's disease confined to nipple, other cancers in situ can't be diagnosed clinically, and N3 (internal mammary lymph node metastasis) can't be touched clinically.
Male breast cancer
Can men suffer from "breast cancer"? Isn't "breast cancer" a patent for women? In fact, men also suffer from breast cancer, but it is very rare.
It is precisely because of the misconception that "men will not suffer from breast cancer" that people often lose their vigilance and are not found to have breast cancer until the late stage of cancer, thus missing the best treatment opportunity.
Theoretically, the occurrence of breast cancer is due to the appearance of malignant tumor tissue in breast cells. Men also have breast tissue, so it may also lead to breast cancer. Only because of the difference in physiological structure, the probability of women suffering from breast cancer is far greater than that of men.
Although there are many similarities between male and female breast cancer, there are still important differences between the two sexes. The biggest difference between the two is the size of the breasts. Because male breast tissue is much smaller, it is easier to be detected when small foreign bodies appear in the breast; On the other hand, because the male breast tissue is too small, it won't take long for the tumor to spread to the skin and muscle tissue of the breast. The diffusion rate of cancer cells is the most important factor affecting the treatment status after diagnosis.
For female patients with early breast cancer, the lump is very small and difficult to find. It is very effective and common to use mammograms for examination, but men rarely do this kind of examination. In fact, breast X-ray is also very effective for men, especially for men with family history, and genetic testing has found BRCA2 mutant gene (a signal of tumor).
What causes male breast cancer?
About 20% of male breast cancer patients have relatives with similar diseases in their families. Therefore, genetic factors are an important cause of male breast cancer. But more inducing factors still come from the day after tomorrow. Whether it is caused by congenital factors or acquired factors, men with androgen deficiency and insufficient estrogen secretion are more likely to suffer from breast cancer.
Liver problems can also lead to male breast cancer. The liver plays an important role in the metabolism of sex hormones, because it produces protein, and protein carries hormones in the blood. These binding proteins can affect the activity of hormones. Men with severe liver failure, such as men with liver cirrhosis, secrete low levels of androgen and high levels of estrogen. Therefore, they are relatively more likely to suffer from gynecomastia or breast cancer.
Lack of activity and obesity are also a cause. Studies have found that physical activity can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women, while obesity in middle age can increase the risk of breast cancer. The reason is that fat cells convert androgens into estrogens. This means that obese men contain higher levels of estrogen. Some obese men find that their beards don't grow as fast as normal men, and their fertility is usually limited. Regular exercise and weight maintenance can reduce the chances of many diseases and cancers.
Like other inducing factors of cancer, strong radiation is also an important factor. When a man's chest is exposed to a large amount of radiation, it may induce breast cancer.
Can men find breast cancer early through their own observation?
Diagnosis should be made as soon as possible when the male breast has the following conditions:
Caking and swelling
Depressed and wrinkled skin
Crater nipple
The nipple or breast skin is red and the nipple size is abnormal.
Nipple discharge
Differential diagnosis related reading: gynecomastia
Male mastopathy (also known as gynecomastia, English name gym astia) is the most common male breast disease, and its symptom is abnormal breast development. This is different from the accumulation of breast fat caused by obesity, and it is a real breast enhancement.
This phenomenon is not a tumor, but breast tissue added from male breasts, which belongs to benign breast hyperplasia.
Generally speaking, the breasts of male patients with gynecomastia are slightly prominent, ranging from button size to disc size.
Male gynecomastia often occurs in adolescent males, mainly because of the imbalance of hormone secretion in the body during adolescence, which generally disappears on its own. Adult men rarely see this symptom, but in some special circumstances (such as liver disease and taking hormonal drugs, etc. ), male body hormone secretion imbalance, estrogen secretion, or due to the emergence of tumors, adult men also have male breast development.
On the one hand, male gynecomastia makes ordinary men lose their vigilance against breast cancer: when they find that they have breast hyperplasia, they will not associate themselves with the possibility of breast cancer, but regard it as male gynecomastia; On the other hand, the incidence of breast cancer in male patients with gynecomastia is 20-50 times that of normal men.
At present, the research on male breast cancer is not complete, and there are still many research gaps to be filled, such as the biochemical mechanism of male breast cancer, genetic changes leading to breast cancer, and external risk factors leading to male breast cancer.