Ms. Zhang could never have imagined that she attached great importance to health every year for physical examinations, and every time the results were fine, this time she was suddenly diagnosed with advanced breast cancer!
When I was in the physical examination center before, although I found a breast nodule of about 1 centimeter, the physical examination center did not inform me that there was a risk of cancer, and Ms. Zhang thought that nodules were also common, so she didn't pay attention to it.
However, only half a year has passed, and when I re-examined it, it was already an advanced stage of cancer, and the best time for treatment was missed, and the breast needed to be completely removed.
What is the chance of cancer in a person's lifetime, and why can't cancer be detected by physical examination every year?
1. What is the chance of cancer in a lifetime, and why are some people okay?
Regarding the "probability of cancer", I believe everyone has a big question in their hearts. After being diagnosed with cancer, most people's first reaction is why me? After seeing others find cancer, healthy people will also be frightened, what is the probability of normal people suffering from cancer?
In early April this year, the latest global cancer statistics published in the journal Cancer showed that about one in five people will develop cancer in their lifetime. This is comparable to data previously published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer: a person has a 21.4% cumulative risk of developing cancer before the age of 75.
In fact, cancer does not occur overnight. The essence of cancer cells is that normal cells have deteriorated, and everyone may have several such "mischievous molecules" in their bodies, but why do some people be fine, while others develop cancer?
Pan Zhanhe, chief physician of the Department of Medical Oncology of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, said that any serious illness in the body, including cancer, is the result of the combined action of internal and external troubles. Once these two conditions occur in the body, cancer cells may grow in the body and evolve into cancer.
The first is internal problems, such as maintaining bad lifestyle habits and negative emotions for a long time, which can easily cause problems with the immune system and give cancer cells a chance to develop. Once the cancer cells are out of control, they will continue to accumulate, spread and metastasize in the body, and it will be much more difficult to eliminate them at this time.
The second is the external problem, which is that the cancer cells have become stronger, and they have developed the ability to evade the immune blow, and continue to grow the "team" in the body, and finally form what we call cancer.
2. Before cancer comes, give it a chance, and don't ignore it in the morning
Cancer cells are actually part of the body that evolve from normal cells. After cancer cells appear in the body, it takes a long-term, gradual and multi-stage process before they evolve into cancer.
This process often takes years, decades, or even decades, which provides us with enough opportunities and time to prevent cancer, and as long as timely measures are taken, there is a high chance that the outcome can be changed.
People are more sensitive to body perception when they wake up in the morning, and they are more likely to have abnormal symptoms. And some tumors are more likely to have obvious manifestations in the morning, this is a very good time period to find abnormalities, we must pay more attention to the body, find these 3 symptoms and seek medical attention in time.
1. Headache: brain tumor
The combination of headache, vomiting, and blurred vision is called intracranial hypertension triad, and the most common cause is brain tumor.
Headaches caused by brain tumors usually appear at 4~5 o'clock in the morning, waking patients up from their sleep. The pain is usually intermittent, mild and severe, and the headache is relieved when you wake up. As the disease progresses, headaches become more frequent and more intense.
2. Hypoglycemia: insulinoma
Even when you get enough sleep, having trouble getting out of bed in the morning or waking up groggy and feeling sluggish are signs of hypoglycemia.
This symptom often occurs, and it is recommended to go to the hospital to investigate the cause, which may be related to pancreatic islet cell tumor, and patients with this disease will also have abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating and other discomforts.
3. Cough: lung cancer
The cough caused by lung cancer is mostly very violent in the morning, and it is mostly an irritating dry cough with no or little phlegm, and some patients cough up sputum with blood streaks.
Especially for some middle-aged and elderly people who have smoked for a long time, once the symptoms are found, they should seek medical attention in time.
3. If you don't do these 4 early screenings in the physical examination, it is equivalent to doing it in vain
With the improvement of living conditions, everyone's attention to health is relatively high, and many people have a good habit of regular physical examination. During the physical examination, you will find that there are many items to be examined, especially for cancer, what should be done?
When screening, you must not be blind, and you must combine your own situation to carry out projects that are suitable for you. At present, the cancers with sufficient research evidence and high consensus, and the most recommended cancers for screening are lung cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer.
1. Lung cancer screening
The incidence and mortality of lung cancer are very high, and it is important to pay attention to this and carry out relevant screening.
Screening is generally recommended to begin at the age of 50, and for people with a history of smoking, family illness, and lung disease, the screening age can be advanced to 45 or 40 years of age, and a low-dose spiral CT examination is recommended once a year.
Note that a chest x-ray is not recommended because it is less recognizable and often has a serious condition when abnormalities can be seen.
2. Breast cancer screening
Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women, and the incidence and mortality have been increasing in recent years.
For the general population with a low risk of breast cancer, it is recommended to start breast cancer-related screening at the age of 40, and to have mammography or breast ultrasound every 1~2 years, and breast MRI is not recommended.
For high-risk groups, it is recommended to start the examination before the age of 40, and it is recommended to have a mammogram once a year and a breast ultrasound once a 6~12 months.
3. Cervical cancer screening
In addition to breast cancer, cervical cancer is also one of the malignant tumors that seriously threaten women's health, and it is mostly caused by HPV infection.
It is recommended that women be screened for cervical cancer after the age of 25, and the screening methods include TCT, HPV testing, etc., and women should have a separate HPV test at least once every 5 years.
4. Colorectal cancer screening
Colorectal cancer is the most common gastrointestinal cancer, and it is recommended for low-risk groups to undergo rectal cancer risk assessment after the age of 40, followed by a colonoscopy every 5~10 years.
Colonoscopy is the "gold standard" for detecting bowel cancer, and it is recommended that people > 40 years old must have it done as soon as possible.
Different groups of people can choose the appropriate screening according to their own conditions, so as not to give the cancer a chance to develop further and reduce their worries about the disease.
Resources:
[1] "Everyone has cancer cells in their bodies, why don't some people get cancer?". Health Times 2024-04-06
[2] "When these symptoms appear after waking up in the morning and eating at meals, beware of tumor signals!". Health Times 2024-03-22
[3] "These 4 types of cancer early screening are really useful! Popular Science China 2024-04-15
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