Early detection through self-diagnosis and regular checkups
Cervical cancer, effective vaccination
The main causes of cervical cancer are sexual intercourse at a young age, promiscuous sex life, and human papillomavirus infection. There are no obvious symptoms in the early stages, but mild vaginal bleeding often occurs after sexual intercourse or during defecation, and as the cancer progresses, symptoms such as bladder irritation, rectal discomfort, and swelling of the lymph nodes appear.
Vaccination is the best way to prevent cervical cancer. Dr. Harald Zurhausen of Germany first discovered that cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with the oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV). His findings paved the way for the development of a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer by preventing infection by the major oncogenic HPV types. Dr. Hausen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008 for this work.
There is no need for a separate test before vaccination, and teenagers and adult women can be vaccinated regardless of sexual experience. It should be noted that cervical cancer vaccines maintain a high immune response and provide long-term preventive effects, as most women can be exposed to HPV infection throughout their sexually active lives.
Family history important breast cancer, regular checkup
It is estimated that the increase in breast cancer is due to a combination of factors such as high-fat, high-calorie diet and obesity, late marriage and low fertility rates, avoidance of breastfeeding, early menarche and late menopause. Breast cancer is one of the cancers with a large genetic factor, and 5-10% of patients are familial. If one of the mothers or sisters has breast cancer, the probability of developing it is 2 to 3 times higher than the average person, and 8 to 12 times higher if both mothers and sisters have breast cancer. This is why more active breast cancer regular screening is essential if there is a family history.
The basis for early diagnosis of breast cancer is to observe changes in breast size, lumps, and nipple discharge through the usual self-diagnosis method. Screening methods applied clinically include mammography (mammography), breast ultrasonography, and breast magnetic resonance imaging (breast MRI). Women, who have a higher frequency of ‘dense breasts’ than Western women, are recommended by related academic circles to receive breast ultrasound along with mammography, which is the primary diagnosis of breast cancer.
Breast MRI is helpful not only in diagnosing breast cancer, but also in diagnosing the stage or metastasis of breast cancer. There is no radiation exposure, both breasts can be compared, and the image is very clear, so even fine lumps can be found. If breast cancer is detected early through self-diagnosis, the survival rate is very high, and almost no breast removal is required. About 50% of patients are found in stages 0 to 1, and 95% of them are treatable.
The proper time for self-diagnosis is around the 5th day after menstruation, and for postmenopausal women, you can set a specific day of the month and check it at the same time every month. Whether lumps remain in the breast even after menstruation, whether the size or shape of the breast has changed visually, whether there is bloody or serous discharge from the nipple, whether there is eczema that has not healed well on the nipple, depression, swelling, You need to keep an eye out for redness and bumpy skin like the peel of an orange.
Ovarian cancer is diagnosed late and survival rate is low
Ovarian cancer is considered to be the main cause such as food and living environment. As with other cancers, early diagnosis is especially important for ovarian cancer, but it is difficult to confirm ovarian cancer at the level of normal gynecological cancer screening. Because of this, most ovarian cancer is discovered in an advanced state and undergoes surgery and chemotherapy, and recurrence occurs within 5 years in more than 70% of patients.
The diagnosis of ovarian cancer is most often made through surgery after onset. However, depending on the skill of the medical staff, it is possible to find lesions suspected of having ovarian cancer through CT, MRI, or ultrasound during regular examinations. After confirming the external shape and size of the tumor, a test for a tumor marker (CA-125) with sensitivity to ovarian cancer is performed. As there is no groundbreaking test method for early detection of ovarian cancer, a combined approach such as pelvic examination, tumor marker test, and vaginal ultrasound is being applied usefully.
Hereditary ovarian cancer accounts for 5-10% of ovarian cancers, so if you have a family history, you should check it through regular tests. In addition, it is known that the possibility of ovarian cancer increases if there is no experience of obesity, infertility or childbirth after the age of 40, so continuous examination is required. In particular, if ovarian cancer is diagnosed in an immediate family member, genetic testing must be performed to check whether the genes involved in ovarian cancer, 'BRCA1' and 'BRCA2', are present. Women who carry this gene can lower the incidence of ovarian cancer by taking oral contraceptives regularly.
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