How to prevent breast cancer recurrence? Treatment varies from person to person

The most common adverse event after breast cancer surgery is tumor recurrence and metastasis. However, even if recurrence and metastasis occur, the treatment effect and survival period of breast cancer are better than many tumors. Therefore, it is necessary to seek medical treatment and treatment in time. However, the treatment of breast cancer is not "all over" after surgical resection. Due to insufficient understanding of the disease, many patients can often seek medical treatment "early", but it is difficult to "persist" in seeking medical treatment.

Common recurrence and metastasis

Treatment for breast cancer recurrence varies from person to person and may include:

Local recurrence: If a local breast mass or axillary lymph node recurrence occurs after surgery, surgery is usually performed to remove the tumor again and perform axillary lymph node dissection;

Distant metastasis: If metastasis occurs to organs such as the lungs, brain, and liver, chemotherapy is required; some patients have bone metastasis and need endocrine therapy and radiotherapy.

Long-term medical research has found that the most common recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer is bone metastasis, accounting for 47%-85% of all distant metastases. If there is persistent bone pain (usually back pain, limbs, and joint pain), spontaneous fractures, and hypercalcemia after breast cancer surgery, it is very likely that bone metastasis has occurred.

Bone scans can detect "budding" bone metastases, which can help to treat them as early as possible, achieve better therapeutic effects, and prolong survival. Therefore, for breast cancer patients after surgery, in addition to routine blood draws, chest X-rays, B-ultrasound and other review items, it is recommended to perform a bone scan every 6-12 months.

Causes of recurrence and metastasis

First, it is determined by the characteristics of the tumor itself. The tumor is highly malignant and grows rapidly. As long as the patient's immunity is low, the risk of tumor recurrence and metastasis exists.

Second, it is related to the treatment method: simple surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy often cause damage to the patient's body. Even if the tumor is under control to a certain extent, the patient's immunity is reduced due to the treatment, which lays the hidden danger of recurrence and metastasis.

Third, cancer patients do not receive consolidation treatment during the recovery period: after routine treatment in the hospital, many patients think they can rest assured. In fact, the recurrence and metastasis rates during the recovery period are still very high, which is always easily overlooked by patients and their families.

Post-metastatic and post-operative care

So is the treatment after recurrence and metastasis the same as the treatment after surgery? To patients, they may feel the same, but to doctors, they are definitely different. After surgery, it is adjuvant treatment, while after recurrence and metastasis, it is salvage treatment.

For example, if chemotherapy is used, the patient will receive an IV drip, but the chemotherapy drugs are different. The doctor will select the chemotherapy drugs based on the patient's condition, treatment history, age and other factors. For another example, radiotherapy is used, and the patient will be exposed to radiation, but the type, dose and location of radiation are different. Therefore, don't worry even if recurrence and metastasis occur, there are still many measures to deal with recurring and metastatic cancer cells.

Relapse also has a chance of cure

Even after recurrence and metastasis, there is a chance of clinical cure. For example, after chemotherapy and phosphate treatment, bone metastases in patients with bone metastases completely disappear, which means clinical cure. For example, in patients with liver metastases, chemotherapy, interventional therapy, endocrine therapy, and biological therapy can shrink or even disappear the lesions, which means clinical cure. Clinical cure is the goal of cancer treatment, and achieving clinical cure means long-term survival.

Emotional Adjustment

After recurrence and metastasis, patients may be very worried that they will not live long, and will repeatedly ask the question "How long can I live?" In fact, how long to survive is a question of probability, and it is impossible to calculate it specifically for each patient. According to literature reports, the five-year survival rate of patients with local recurrence is 80-90%, and the five-year survival rate of patients with distant metastasis is about 50%. Therefore, it is recommended that patients actively cooperate with doctors to start treatment after recurrence and metastasis.

Some patients feel desperate after local recurrence or distant metastasis, which is totally unnecessary. After problems occur, various measures can be taken to control the disease, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine treatment to control and prolong the life span. After regular and appropriate treatment, many patients can achieve clinical cure and long-term survival.

Negative emotions can have a very negative impact on health. Patients with problems are advised not to despair, but to actively receive treatment and spend this period with a good attitude. Therefore, actively solve all the difficulties in life!

Dietary adjustments

Less stale, more fresh: Overnight cooked cabbage and pickled cabbage will produce nitrite, which will be converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines in the body. Repeatedly boiled water, especially overnight water, contains nitrite. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits. It is recommended that adults eat 300-500 grams of vegetables per day, of which dark vegetables must account for half, and 200-400 grams of fruit;

Less meat and more vegetables: Less meat means eating less red meat such as beef, pork, and lamb. Studies have found that eating red meat can increase people's risk of colon cancer and breast cancer. In addition, it is best to eat 50 grams of coarse grains, including whole grains, every day;

Drink less alcohol and more tea: Try to drink low-alcohol alcohol and keep it below the appropriate limit. Drink more green tea, especially oolong tea, which has the best anti-cancer effect;

Less frying and more stewing: Most of the products such as pancakes, stinky tofu, French fries, and fried dough sticks use oil that has been repeatedly used, which can produce carcinogens at high temperatures.

Less hot, more warm: Frying too deep will produce carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. When coffee is burnt, the carcinogenic benzopyrene will increase 20 times;

Less smoking and more frying: Smoked meat, smoked fish, smoked tofu, etc. contain benzopyrene.