Diagnostic methods
of
breast cancer
1. Self-examination: Women should have a self-examination of their breasts once a month, and pay attention to whether there are lumps, skin changes, inverted nipples or secretion. 2. Clinical examination: By asking the doctor to examine the patient’s breast and armpit to determine whether there are lumps or other abnormal changes, clinical examination can be used as a preliminary screening method, but can not be used alone to confirm the diagnosis. 3. Imaging examination: (1) Mammography (molybdenum target): It is one of the important means of common breast cancer screening examination, which can judge benign and malignant tumors and contribute to the early detection of breast cancer. For women over 40 years of age. (2) Ultrasonography: Radiation-free, suitable for women of all ages (3) Magnetic resonance imaging: For high-risk individuals or patients with suspicious lesions, it is helpful to further evaluate the nature of the lesion by providing more detailed images. 4. Cytological and histological examination: (1) Fine needle aspiration biopsy: Pathological examination is to observe and determine whether the cells in the mass are malignant by fine needle aspiration. (2) Core needle biopsy: a larger core needle is used to take a small piece of tissue for pathological examination, which provides more tissue information than FNAB. (3) Operation biopsy: Through anaesthetize local breast, excise partial bump or all bump undertake pathology is checked, it is the most reliable diagnostic method.
2. Treatment of breast cancer The treatment of breast cancer needs to be considered comprehensively according to the patient’s condition, the stage of the tumor and the overall health of the patient. The following are several common treatments: 1. Surgery: (1) Radical mastectomy: removal of the entire affected breast and its surrounding lymph nodes (2) Modified radical mastectomy: removal of the breast and some lymph nodes, but preservation of the pectoral muscles, reducing the surgical trauma. (3) Breast-conserving surgery: Only a part of the tumor and its surrounding normal tissue is removed, and the basic shape of the breast is preserved. (4) Sentinel lymph node biopsy: The sentinel lymph node is observed to assess lymph node metastasis, so as to avoid unnecessary extensive lymph node resection. 2. Radiotherapy is often used as an adjuvant therapy after breast-conserving surgery to reduce the risk of local recurrence. Radiotherapy may also be used as the primary treatment for inoperable patients. 3. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy kills or inhibits the growth of cancer cells by using anti-cancer drugs, which can be used to shrink tumors before surgery, eliminate micrometastases after surgery or treat advanced breast cancer. 4. Endocrine therapy: For hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, estrogen can be blocked. Endocrine therapy can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. 5. Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy is aimed at specific molecular markers, with higher specificity and lower side effects. Anti-HER-2 drugs such as trastuzumab are used in the early stage of targeted adjuvant therapy, and drugs such as lapatinib are used in the late stage of rescue. 6. Biological immunotherapy: Biological immunotherapy attacks cancer cells by activating the patient’s own immune system, which is a new therapeutic hand
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