Introduction to breast cancer

Description: Mammary cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. The incidence rate is 7-10% of all kinds of malignant tumors in the body. It is the second leading cause of women's health. Its incidence is often related to heredity, and between 40 and 60 years old, the incidence of women before and after menopause is higher. It is one of the most common malignancies that usually occurs in breast glandular epithelial tissue, which seriously affects women's physical and mental health and even life-threatening. Breast cancer is rare in men, and only about 1-2% of breast patients are male. Causes: Several known major factors that induce breast cancer: 1 Age: In women, the incidence increases with age, is rare before menarche, and is rare before 20 years old, but the incidence is rapid after 20 years old Rising, 45 to 50 years old is relatively high, but relatively flat, the incidence after menopause continues to rise, reaching the highest peak around 70 years old. Mortality also rises with age, and mortality increases gradually after age 25 and continues to rise until old age. 2 Genetic factors: Women in the family have a history of breast cancer in the first-degree family, and the risk of breast cancer is 2 to 3 times higher than that of the normal population. 3 Other breast diseases. 4 Menarche age: The risk of onset of menarche earlier than 13 years is 2.2 times that of those older than 17 years old. 5 Menopause age: The risk of menopause older than 55 years is greater than that of less than 45 years old. 6 First pregnancy age: The risk increases gradually with the delay of the primiparous age. The risk of primiparity after 35 years of age is higher than that of those without birth history. 7 Postmenopausal supplementation of estrogen: Long-term use of estrogen during menopause may increase the risk of breast cancer. 8 oral contraceptives. 9 Food: Especially a fatty diet can increase the risk of breast cancer. 10 Drinking alcohol. 11 Weight gain may be an important risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women. 12 virus infection 13 radiation effect: easy to improve the risk of breast cancer 14 mental factors: anxiety, stress can inhibit the immunity of anti-cancer (2) pathogenesis (1) genetic factors: Li (1988) reported that the United States has soft tissue Young people with malignant tumors, and some of their children have breast cancer, which is breast cancer syndrome. Studies have shown that some patients in the female mammary gland are caused by the transmission of genetic genes, that is, the younger the age of onset, the greater the genetic predisposition. With the in-depth study of the pathogenesis of hereditary breast cancer, there may be some elaboration in the future. The characteristics of hereditary breast cancer are: 1 the age of onset is mild; 2 is easy to bilateral; 3 in the premenopausal breast cancer patients, their relatives are also prone to premenopausal disease. (2) Gene mutations: Oncogenes can have two synergistic stages but differ in terms of the initiation phase and the initiation phase. At present, the relationship between oncogenes and their products and the occurrence and development of breast cancer has concluded that there are several oncogenes involved in the formation of breast cancer; the first introduction of oncogenes by normal cells does not necessarily cause tumors, which may involve multiple times. Carcinogenesis occurs; oncogenes not only participate in cell mutations during the initiation phase, but also play a role in the formation of breast cancer; in the process of normal breast epithelial-proliferative-carcinogenesis, different genes may be involved. 1 Radiation exposure can cause genetic damage, causing mutations in the chromosomes, leading to breast cancer. 2 endocrine hormones have a proliferative effect on mammary epithelial cells. Animal experiments show that estrogen mainly acts on the stage of cancer formation, while normal female endocrine hormones are in a state of dynamic equilibrium, so the occurrence of breast cancer is directly related to endocrine disorders. Estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, androgen and thyroid hormone are all related to the development of breast cancer. Estrogen levels in the mammary gland are several times higher than estrogen levels in the blood. Cholesterol and its oxidation products in the breast, cholesterol epoxide, induce hyperplasia of mammary epithelial cells, and cholesterol epoxide itself is a mutagenic, carcinogenic, cytotoxic compound. 3 exogenous hormones, such as oral contraceptives, therapeutic estrogen, androgen, etc., can cause imbalance of the above endocrine hormones in the body, resulting in a corresponding effect. 4 The relationship between dietary components and certain metabolites such as fat and breast cancer: The incidence of hypertrophic mice with mammary gland tumors caused by animal and vegetable oils increased. In the initial stage of the carcinogenic effect of carcinogens on mice, increasing the amount of fat does not work, but in the stage of triggering, the amount of fat is increased and the tumor growth is rapidly accelerated. (3) Decreased immune function of the body: The body's immunity is reduced, and the carcinogens and carcinogen-induced mutant cells cannot be removed in time. It is one of the important factors in the host of breast cancer. With the increase of age, the immune function of the body is especially It is a decline in cellular immune function, which is one of the reasons why most tumors including breast cancer are prone to occur in middle-aged and old age. (4) Neurological status: Many breast cancer patients have had trauma before the onset of the disease, indicating that the nervous system is over-stressed and may provide favorable conditions for the induced mutation of the carcinogen. Symptoms: 1. Symptoms and signs Early onset of breast cancer can be asymptomatic, and may develop local and systemic symptoms as the disease progresses. (1) Lump: It is the first symptom of breast cancer. According to foreign reports, most of the masses are located in the outer upper quadrant, followed by the inner upper and the nipple areola area, and the lower part is less. The size of the tumor is different, and it is more common in the size of 2 to 3 cm. Most of them are single-shot, and occasionally multiple. The masses are mostly round or oval, and the borders are unclear. They are generally indurated and have poor mobility. (2) Pain: Most breast cancer patients lack pain symptoms. Breast cancer is not easily detected early because of less pain. Pain often manifests as tingling, pain or dull pain in the breast, such as periodic pain in the breast with cystic hyperplasia of the breast. (3) Breast skin changes: The breast tissue is surrounded by a superficial fascia located under the skin, and the deep fascia is connected by a Cooper ligament. Because the superficial fascia is connected to the skin, when the breast cancer invades the Cooper ligament between the breasts to shorten it, it will pull the skin and make the local skin sag, like a dimple, called "dimple sign." In addition, adhesion of the tumor directly to the skin may also cause this condition. Dimples can appear earlier in breast cancer and are more pronounced when the affected arm moves up and down. 1 redness and swelling: tumors with faster growth and larger volume may have superficial venous engorgement and elevated local skin temperature. The skin may turn red when the tumor is close to the surface of the skin. If the cancer cells block the subcutaneous lymphatics, skin edema can occur and an "orange peel-like change" can occur. Breast skin redness and swelling are most typical of inflammatory breast cancer. The skin color is light red or deep red, and the limited piece quickly spreads to most breasts and even whole milk. At the time of palpation, the whole breast thickened and hardened, the skin temperature increased, and it was swollen and rough, and there was obvious orange peel-like change. 2 skin ulceration: the tumor develops to the advanced stage, the tumor grows up, can make the skin bulge, such as insufficient blood supply, with the skin redness, thinning, can occur ulceration. Patients often have pain, sometimes severe pain. Because the wound has a large amount of necrotic tissue and bloody secretions exudation, patients often have signs of weight loss and anemia. Read more...