Risk of breast cancer
The pathology report for the breast lump of the week has arrived. It is benign: giant fibroadenoma. A fibroadenoma is a mixed lump made up of cells from the milk glands (”-adenoma” means arising from glands) and surrounding supporting tissue (hence, “fibro-”). It is the most common breast lump to appear in women aged 15 to 25 years. They are completely benign. The problem in the management of fibroadenomata is differentiating it from cancer.
Microscopic view of a section of fibroadenoma. The purple-stained cells are gland cells and the pink wavy strands are fibrous tissue. Pretty?
One of the components of the assessment is clinical history and examination. The background history of the patient gives an idea of the degree of risk of breast cancer that she faces. Factors that indicate a higher risk of breast cancer are:
- Age - increasing age increases the risk, the median age is 55 years. Breast cancer patients in Malaysia are younger than in US/UK.
Age-specific breast cancer risk in Malaysia. This chart is from the THE SECOND REPORT OF THE NATIONAL CANCER REGISTRY - CANCER INCIDENCE IN MALAYSIA 2003
- Personal history of breast cancer before
- Mother or sister with breast cancer
- First full-term pregnancy after the age of 30 years
- Never pregnant
- Early menarche (onset of periods before the age of 11 years)
- Late menopause (last periods after the age of 55 years)
- Oestrogen-containing hormone replacement therapy
- High-fat diet
- Sedentary life-style
- Post-menopausal obesity
- Higher socio-economic status
Many of these factors find a common pathway in the high levels of exposure to oestrogen. Oestrogen is a female hormone. Oestrogen promotes growth and replication of breast gland cells. Therefore, increased exposure to oestrogen increases the risk of breast cancer. Most of these factors cannot be controlled by the patient. However, some are.
Recently, a study from the Hutchinson Center showed an association between post-menopausal obesity, physical activity and oestrogen level. The researchers found that women with high body mass index (BMI) and low physical-activity had mean oestrogen concentrations that were 50 percent to 100 percent higher than that of women with low BMI and high physical-activity levels. The BMI is an indicator of obesity.
In short, keeping a healthy weight and high physical activity is possible method of reducing breast cancer risk that can the practiced. Keep fit.
aiyoyo..i score 4 points out of 10..how ar?….sei for….eh eh nemoooooooooo……see got distracted liao….
eve, 4 is ok .. 4 is a good number.. better than 10 :-).. keep fit!!
p.s. Nemoooo is only here for a short time only. Wanna see nemo after this… go to George’s blog. Hehe.
I heard that if male breast cancer is more risky than female?
1% of breast cancers are in males. Yes, breast cancer in males is more risky, possible reasons may be more aggresive type of cancer, early spread and delay in diagnosis.
can this fibroadenoma recur?
Fibroadenomata can form, usually, up to the age of twenty something. So new one can appear.
Opss .. passed 30 years of age and never pregnant also in the “RISK” group??
This is not to scare people or anything like that… but “yes”.
Read that not wearing a bra for too many hours in a day helps to decrease the risk of getting breast cancer too.
Any comment?
Hello jan, that’s an urban legend circulating in e-mail circles. Unfortunately, there’s no truth to it. Otherwise we would have found an easy way to reduce breast cancer.
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