Currently, “breast cancer” is the most common cancer found in Thai women. According to statistics from the National Cancer Institute, the incidence of breast cancer in Thailand has been continuously increasing. Between 1989-1991, the incidence rate was 11.1 cases per 100,000 population. However, the latest data from 2013-2015 shows the incidence rate has increased to as high as 31.4 cases per 100,000 population. Statistical data clearly indicate that breast cancer is most commonly found in individuals aged 35-39 years, with a significantly higher incidence in those aged 40-44 years. Therefore, all women should undergo breast cancer screening with mammograms and breast ultrasounds starting at age 40 or earlier if other risk factors are present.
What Causes Breast Cancer?
“Currently, the exact cause of breast cancer cannot be concluded.”
However, an important risk factor for breast cancer is estrogen hormone (Estrogen), which is a female sex hormone that stimulates breast tissue cells to abnormally increase in number. Normally, a woman’s body relies on estrogen to regulate physical changes during reproductive stages such as puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause.
Those who are exposed to estrogen for a long time, such as individuals who start menstruating before age 12, those who experience menopause after age 55, those who use contraceptive pills continuously for more than 5 years, those who have children late after age 30 or have no children, and those receiving hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms, all have breast cells continuously stimulated by hormones. Combined with aging, the body’s mechanisms for repairing or eliminating abnormal cells become less effective, leading to mutations in cells that eventually develop into breast cancer.
Symptoms That Warrant a Visit to a Breast Specialist
- Feeling a lump in the breast
- Discharge of fluid or blood from the nipple, especially if it occurs spontaneously without squeezing
- Newly inverted nipple
- Changes in the skin of the breast such as hard bumps, raised skin, dimpling, lumps in the breast tissue, skin swelling resembling orange peel, chronic ulcers, or rashes on the nipple and areola
- Chronic redness and inflammation of the breast
If anyone experiences these symptoms, they should see a breast specialist for mammogram and breast ultrasound examinations. If abnormalities are detected, a biopsy or surgical removal of tissue for pathological examination is necessary for diagnosis. In fact, breast cancer can be detected at an early stage before symptoms appear through regular annual screening. Detecting small, early-stage cancers without spread allows for more effective treatment and a higher chance of cure.
Cancer Stages VS Chances of Cure
- Patients at pre-invasive or stage 0 have a very high chance of cure, with a ≥ 10-year survival rate of nearly 100%
- Stage 1 has a ≥ 5-year survival rate of 98%
- Stage 2 has a ≥ 5-year survival rate of 93%
- Stage 3 has a ≥ 5-year survival rate of 72%
- Stage 4 or metastatic stage has a ≥ 5-year survival rate of 22%, generally surviving no more than 3 years with a survival rate of 0-20%
- Once metastasized, survival rates drop significantly, so early diagnosis and treatment are crucial
How is breast cancer treated?
Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Hormonal therapy
- Targeted therapy
In most cases, if breast cancer is detected at an early stage, doctors usually start treatment with surgery, combined with other treatments to improve outcomes, such as surgery followed by chemotherapy after wound healing, and then radiation therapy.
