Prevent breast cancer, Months ago, during a routine mammogram, a mass was detected in my breast. The word “mass” made me recoil. I hastily resorted to Dr Google to try to decode the mammogram results,
which come as gradations of a classification system known as “Birads” – Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System designed by the American College of Radiologists. The system’s scale ranges from 0-6, starting with Birads 0 (an incomplete examination that requires further tests), through to 3 (likely benign, but follow-up imaging may be required), to a 4 (suspicious) and finally a 6 – usually given when cancer is already proven by biopsy. Dr Yau Chun-chung, a specialist in clinical oncology and vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation (HKBCF), warns that a mammogram is only part of a complete clinical assessment for suspected breast mass. A complete breast screening should start with an inquiry of related history, including symptoms, changes of skin and breast contour, changes in the nipple, and also any discharge from the nipple. That should be followed by a careful examination of the breast, Yau says. My follow-up indicated fibrocystic breast changes. Dr Polly Cheung, founder of the Hong Kong prevent Breast Cancer Foundation, says this is a benign condition in which the breasts are sensitive to the influence of oestrogen.
This results in the thickening of breast ducts, cyst formation, breast pain and benign nodule formation – not related to cancer formation, she says, adding that symptoms usually go away after menopause. Cysts can come and go and many times can be aggravated by stress and caffeine (in coffee, tea, chocolate and cola, for example). Relief flooded me, especially as I knew that prevent breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type, accounting for 1 in 8 cancer diagnoses worldwide. In Hong Kong, Cheung says, it has been the number-one cancer affecting women since 1994. “Age-adjusted breast cancer incidence in Hong Kong is 65.5 per 100,000 women, the highest among Asian countries, and higher than the world average. The lifetime risk for women in Hong Kong is 1 in 14,” Screening should begin at 40, which is when breast cancer incidence begins to rise, and then done every two years. Women with dense breasts (seen more often in menstruating women) should consider a 3D mammogram or supplementary ultrasounds to enhance accuracy in cancer detection.
Source: This new is originally published by scmp