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Breast Cancer Screening November 6th, 2014 | 6:47 pm

Breast cancer is the most common cancerous condition causing death among women

According to relevant statistics, in

2012, there were roughly over 1

million breast cancer cases

throughout the world. In America,

the rate of breast cancer in 1998

was twice higher than that in 1940.

As the main causes of breast cancer have remained unknown to this day and most women are

exposed to a lot of threats in their life, early screening methods have proved to be ineffective. In this

day and age, a proper screening session needs not only the modern techniques and equipment but

also the mutual cooperation between the patient and the physician. More importantly, the

physician needs to be skillful in his/her job to be able to detect any abnormalities.

Risk factors There are many risk factors leading to breast cancer:

Age and gender These factors are really critical. Women have 100% higher risk of developing breast cancer than

men. The risk is high when women are at the age of 4 – 50 due to hormonal changes, and significantly decreases when they are 75 – 80 years old.

Race Breast cancer rate is quite high in Europe and North America. However, the reasons for this are seemingly the differences in lifestyle, economy wealth and society.

Benign breast diseases Some benign breast diseases can lead to higher risk of developing breast cancer. The risk increases if accompanied by family medical history.

Personal history of breast cancer Women who have had breast cancer face an increased risk (5%) of getting breast cancer in the other

breast within 10 years. In the case of invasive breast cancer, the risk grows by 0.5 – 1% every year.

Lifestyle and dietary factors Financial situation, habits and nutrition are also amongst the factors leading to breast cancer. A diet in high animal fat, alcohol and cholesterol can also increase breast cancer risk.

Estrogen Age of menarche, menopause and the first pregnancy as well as breastfeeding etc. can also affect

the risk of developing breast cancer. Women who have experienced menopause are advised to take

hormone replacement therapy which can raise their estrogen level leading to a higher risk of getting breast cancer.

Breast cancer is really common among women and proves

to have a considerably high fatality rate. However, with the

help of screening methods, breast cancer can be detected and treated with positive outcomes.

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Family history and generic alterations A family history of breast cancer is another critical factor. A woman’s risk of getting breast cancer

increase by 1.5 times if her mother or sister(s) had breast cancer. Also, changes in certain genes

(BRCA1, BRCA2) increases the risk of breast cancer by 5- 10%

Radiation therapy Women whose breast were exposed to radiation are at an increased risk for developing breast cancer. Prolonged exposure to X-ray, nuclear bombs etc. will lead to a higher breast cancer risk.

Breast Cancer Screening methods Mammography The effectiveness of mammography in breast cancer screening has been proven in lots of studies

and researches. It was firstly used in 1913 on a removed breast, then used on a patient in 1930.

Between 150 and 1960, it was reported that mammography could detect cancerous breast lumps

which couldn’t be clinically diagnosed. After that, a series of researches confirmed the effectiveness

of mammography in breast cancer screening. Ever since the year of 1965, constant innovations

have been made to ensure the accuracy of mammography and minimize the radiation exposure. Mammography is helpful in detecting breast calcification.

Breast Ultrasound Initially, breast ultrasound was used to analyze breast anomalies detected by mammography or

clinical examinations. Breast ultrasound not only detects cysts or tumors but also provide

information about the nature of the tumors and other breast anomalies. Also, breast ultrasound is

utterly helpful during breast biopsy. The effectiveness of breast ultrasound depends on the

physician’s experience & the ultrasound equipment. One drawback of breast ultrasound is that it makes it hard for physicians to compare the current result to the preceding ones.

MRI MRI assists mammography in breast cancer screening among women exposed to a higher risk for

developing breast cancer. MRI has proved to be a highly effective tool supporting mammography in

the cases of generic alteration (BRCA). However, it can be costly.

Clinical examination Clinical examinations are carried out by physicians. The patients shall be examined when sitting and

lying on their back. The physician will examine and compare between the breasts. Clinical

examination can detect tumors of the size of over 1 cm. It is effective during the early stages of

breast cancer and is usually carried out in developing countries where breast cancer is on the rise and mammography is not common.

Self-examination This is the least expensive method and can be done by the patients themselves. It raises awareness

about personal health condition and help women detect any breast anomalies before consulting specialists.

In short, breast cancer is a fatal disease and is on a rise. However, with proper screening methods, it can be detected before it’s too late

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The benefits of breast cancer screening has long been proven by astounding works. The successful

rate depends on the patients’ risks, the medical capacity of the nation and the decisions of

physicians. Always keep in mind the effectiveness of each screening method for better results.

Despite some challenges along the way, the overall picture of breast cancer in Vietnam has

significantly improved thanks to some medical advancements in the field of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy.