Breast health knowledge

More than 90% of the breast pain and palpable small hard nodules/nodules encountered by women on a daily basis are benign lesions. They will neither become malignant nor require special treatment. There is no need to take health supplements or do random breast massages. Regular screening is enough. Excessive anxiety can damage the breast glands more than the nodules themselves.

I just received a consultation from a 27-year-old Internet operator a while ago. When I was taking a shower after finishing the Double 11 project, I felt a small hard lump on my left chest that could slide. I was so scared that I cried until the early morning. I gave up soy milk for three days, and my eyes were still swollen when I came to register. After the color ultrasound, it showed that it was a 1cm breast fibroadenoma, BI-RADS category 3, with a malignant probability of less than 2%. I told her that a re-examination every six months would be enough, and she didn’t even need to prescribe medicine. She sat in the clinic and was stunned for five minutes, asking me repeatedly, "Does it really not need to be removed? Will it not turn into cancer?"

In fact, I meet a dozen patients like her every day. There are really too many misunderstandings about breast cancer. When it comes to nodules, almost everyone's first question is "Can I not drink soy milk?" There is indeed no completely unified conclusion in the academic community on this issue: the mainstream consensus is that the isoflavones in soybeans are phytoestrogens, which are two-way regulated - when the estrogen level is high, it will assist in reducing it, and when it is low, it will gently supplement it. Drink a cup of 300ml every day Eating light soy milk and eating two pieces of tofu will not cause nodules to enlarge at all; but some clinicians will advise patients who already have three or more types of nodules, or who are so painful that they cannot touch them before menstruation, not to drink ultra-thick freshly ground soy milk every day, and not to eat foods with high animal estrogen content such as royal jelly and snow clams. After all, individual differences are huge, so it never hurts to be cautious.

What is more misleading than drinking soy milk is the belief that many people believe in "massaging the breasts to remove nodules and enlarge the breasts." Last month, a 32-year-old patient came with a physical examination report and said that a 1.2cm fibroadenoma was detected three months ago. The beauty salon said that a 5,000-yuan massage card would be able to loosen the nodules and help her increase her bra cup size. She went for massage twice a week, but this time the nodules had grown to 2cm during the reexamination, and she finally underwent minimally invasive excision. To put it bluntly, the glandular structure of the breast is like a bunch of grapes hanging on the chest. If you rub it hard, you will most likely crush the "grapes" and cause inflammation. If there are potentially malignant nodules, repeated stimulation will accelerate the progression. If you really want to relieve menstrual pain, apply a warm towel for 10 minutes before going to bed, which is more effective than any essential oil massage.

Many people also ask me whether the screening cycle must be based on age groups? There really is no standard. If you have a direct relative (mother, sister) who has had breast cancer, no matter you are 20 or 30 years old, it is best to have a breast ultrasound every six months; if there is no family history and no discomfort, a regular color ultrasound once a year is enough for girls aged 20-39 , do a mammography target without coming up. Young girls have dense glands and the mammography target cannot be seen clearly. Women over 40 years old can have a mammography target in addition to color ultrasound. However, if you have small breasts and high gland density, you can also discuss with the doctor to only do a color ultrasound, without imposing universal standards. As for the rumor that many people say "wearing underwire bras can cause cancer" is even more unfounded. As long as you don't buy an adjustable bra that is one size smaller to show your breasts and wear it for more than ten hours until you can't breathe, you can wear underwire bras and sports bras casually. When I work a 24-hour shift, I wear sports bras all day long without any problems.

Finally, I have to repeat something to my patients every day: Breast glands are typical emotional organs. If you get sulky every day, stay up late, or are so anxious about a nodule that you can't eat, it will injure the breast glands more than drinking ten cups of soy milk. After a girl was diagnosed with type 2 hyperplasia, she had to touch her breasts for half an hour every day while taking a bath. The more she touched her breasts, the more she felt that the nodules were getting bigger. The pain during the reexamination for half a month was so painful that she had to struggle to lift her arms. In fact, the nodules had not changed at all. It was just an endocrine disorder caused by being too nervous. There is really no need to treat breast problems as a scourge. Spend more than 100 yuan a year on a color ultrasound. If there is a problem, the doctor will tell you how to deal with it. If there is no problem, you should eat and drink. It is more reliable than any health products or health programs.