Breast cancer – prevention

Who most commonly gets sick?

Most women who get sick are older than 50, but increasingly younger women are also getting sick. In Croatia, every tenth woman gets breast cancer, but there is a very high chance of recovery from this disease if it is detected early enough.

What causes breast cancer?

The exact cause has not yet been discovered. It is only known that damage and DNA mutations in a breast tissue cell cause abnormal growth of breast cells. Cell growth accelerates the formation of a lump, that is, a tumor.

What are the risk factors for breast cancer?

The presence of risk factors does not necessarily mean getting breast cancer. On the other hand, there are many people who get sick and do not have known risk factors. Therefore, we can conclude that the development of breast cancer is conditioned by a combination of genetics and environmental factors.

First symptoms of breast cancer

In the early stages, breast cancer does not show symptoms, but there are changes that should be monitored. Read everything about the first symptoms on our blog.

Breast cancer prevention

There are breast cancer factors that we cannot influence, such as family history and menopause. What we can change are lifestyle-related risk factors and try to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by making small daily changes:

• exercise regularly
• reduce excess body weight
• strive for a healthy diet
• reduce alcohol intake to a minimum
• quit smoking
• use hormone replacement therapy for as short a time as possible
• breastfeed as long as possible (several months)

With a preventive examination, that is, a breast self-examination every month, we become familiar with the normal changes the breasts go through. Self-examination enables earlier recognition of unusual signs and the first symptoms of breast cancer.

It is best to perform a self-examination 7-14 days after the start of menstruation, and if a woman does not have menstruation, it is best to designate one day of the month for self-examination. What should I pay attention to during a self-examination?

• presence of lumps
• thickening in the breast
• enlargement of one breast
• changes in the nipples
• nipple discharge
• breast pain

Self-examination can save a life! It should be performed by all women older than 20 on a monthly basis! Radiological examinations for the purpose of detecting breast cancer are 3d mammography, digital mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging.

How often should we have breast examinations?

1. Women up to the age of 40 should perform self-examinations as well as breast ultrasound (at intervals of 1 to 3 years) until the age of 40
2. Women over the age of 40 should begin with mammography/3d mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) every year in combination.
3. Women at increased risk of developing breast cancer should definitely have all of the listed examinations every year.
Read everything about the first guidelines on our blog.
We are here for all your questions! If you would like to schedule an examination, feel free to contact us.