Minister of Health Monitoring Gürçağ Altuğra, pointed out that breast cancer is the most common type of cancer, and announced that 2.26 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
Minister of Health Monitoring Gürçağ Altuğra made a written statement on the occasion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
In a written statement, Altuğra said, “Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer that is seen in women all over the world and causes the most death. Every year, 2.26 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 685,000 women die from breast cancer.
In our country, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women with 37 percent. The most effective methods of controlling breast cancer are prevention and early diagnosis. The chance of treatment can reach 100 percent in patients diagnosed early.”
Stating that breast cancer is cancer that develops from cells in the breast tissue, Altuğra says, “It can originate from any part of the breast tissue. The most common type; these are cancers called ductal cancer originating from the breast ducts, “lobular” cancers originating from the milk-producing glands are also common. There are also rarer types such as medullary, tubular, mucinous originating from other tissues.
Altuğra lists the most important risk factors as follows:
“Being obese or overweight, not doing enough physical activity, using alcohol, age at first birth after 30 or have never given birth
Age of first menstruation: Those who have their first menstruation at an early age are at increased risk because they will be exposed to the hormone estrogen for a longer period of time.
Age of menopause: As it is known, menopause is the period when the woman ceases her menstruation and her fertility ends. Aged menopause increases the risk of breast cancer. Here, too, the factor is exposure to the hormone estrogen for a long time.
Female gender, advanced age
Some genetic changes such as BRCA-1, BRCA-2 mutations
Having a history of breast cancer
Having had radiotherapy to the chest
Some benign breast diseases (such as fibroadenoma, papillomatosis)
Having a family history of breast cancer: The risk of developing breast cancer in women with breast cancer in their mother, maternal relatives, aunt and/or sister is higher than the normal population.”
The most common symptom of breast cancer is the feeling of a painless, growing mass in the breast. However, in a minority of patients, pain may accompany the symptoms.
More rarely, there are nipple symptoms, including breast retraction, skin thickening, swelling, skin irritation or breakdown, and nipple tenderness or inversion. Contrary to popular belief, pain and bloody discharge occur in advanced stages.
Early-stage breast cancers may not show any obvious symptoms until they reach advanced stages, as in other types of cancer. The most important factor in early diagnosis is raising awareness of the person.
Therefore, it is very important that you apply the recommended control programs for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Diagnosing breast cancer at an early stage increases the chances of successful treatment and survival.
Self-examination, examination by a physician and mammography are the most effective methods for early diagnosis.
Breast self-examination: After the age of 20, every woman should perform breast self-examination on a day between 7-10 days as of the first day of menstruation, and by choosing a certain day of each month if she does not see menstrual bleeding. If a difference is felt compared to the previous month during the monthly examination, a doctor should be consulted immediately.
Clinical breast examination: it should be part of women’s regular health checkups. From the age of 20, every woman should have a breast examination every 2 years, and once a year after the age of 40, by a trained physician.
Mammography: is a method of detecting pathologies in the breast using low-energy x waves and can reduce deaths from breast cancer by 20 percent. In our country, women between the ages of 40-69 are screened every 2 years.
