In Indonesia, the highest number of cancers and one of the first contributors to death from cancer is breast cancer. Every year there are 7 million sufferers and 5 million die each year. The cause of breast cancer is not known until now.
Factors in the occurrence of breast cancer are Age, not being married, first menstruation <12 years, menopause >55 years, had a light breast tumor surgery, received long hormonal therapy, presence of contralateral breast cancer, gynecological surgery, chest radiation, family history.
Early Detection plays an important role in cases of Breast Cancer. Every girl who has started menstruating should be taught to do a breast self-examination (BSE) once a month and do it 7-10 days after menstruation. BSE can be done while taking a shower and lying down or standing in front of a mirror. Symptoms of breast cancer that you need to know are:
- Lumps on the breast
- Wounds that don't heal for more than 6 months
- Bleeding from the nipples
- Skin changes, Nipple changes
- The nipple is pulled inward (retraction or inversion).
- Clinical suspicion of malignancy in breast tumors
- Breast tumors are clinically not clearly benign
- Breast tumors are in the "high-risk" group
- Breast cysts with bloody fluid
- Blood or serous discharge from the nipples
- The areola has scabs and a picture of eczema.
If you have complaints as mentioned above, you can do a breast cancer check by:
- Ultrasonography (USG) of the breast, Mammography (for ages over 40 years). If further examination is needed, examinations can be carried out: MRI, Ct Scan, to determine the type of benign/malignant tumor, tissue examination is needed through an anatomical pathological examination of the Immuno Histo-chemical (IHK) to risk examination with a mammary print & genetic testing such as the BRCA mutation test.
The main treatment for breast cancer is through options, Breast Conserving surgery (BCS) is surgery for breast cancer with wide excision techniques, Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy, Mastectomy & Reconstruction.
Other adjuvant therapies are, hormonal therapy through Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy Bilateral laparoscopy, & other hormonal therapies, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy with chemotherapy ports.
MIB (Minimally Invasive Breast Treatment / Therapy) is one of the newest procedures for removing tumors/breast cancer by removing tumors with a vacuum device and can be done quickly, without stitches, and with shorter hospital stays.
The article was written by Dr. dr. Denni Joko Purwanto, Sp.B(K)Onk, MM (Surgery Specialist Consultant Oncologist at EMC Alam Sutera Hospital).