Page 219 - KNJIGA SAŽETAKA

INOVACIJE I IZAZOVI U OBRAZOVANJU I SESTRINSKOJ SKRBI - KNJIGA SAŽETAKA

Prevention of Breast Cancer in Women

In our fast-paced lifestyle, the way of thinking that is changing among the new generations,
new cause-and-effect relationships are created for the occurrence of diseases, including breast
cancer. Breast cancer occurs mostly in the most economically developed countries of the world.
The growing numbers point us to this, and the incidence of breast cancer is many times higher
than any other type of cancer in women, and unfortunately it is constantly increasing every year
in Croatia. According to the data of the Croatian Cancer Registry, the Croatian Institute of
Public Health, a total of 2,748 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. The
occurrence of breast cancer in women under the age of 40, which is 8.63 percent of the total
number of women, is worrying. Every twenty seconds, somewhere in the world, one woman is
given this diagnosis, and more than three women die every five minutes in the world. The
implementation of primary prevention measures depends on a woman's willingness to take care
of her health and not knowingly endanger it. You should go for regular breast examinations, try
to avoid risk factors for breast cancer, which are very well known and scientifically proven.
Maintaining a normal body weight is extremely important for maintaining health and preventing
all diseases, of which malignant ones are the most serious. Alcohol interferes with the
metabolism of numerous hormones, including estrogen, and its consumption is by no means
recommended. Tobacco smoking is most often associated with lung cancer, but 4,000 harmful
substances from tobacco smoke damage all organs in the body, including the breast. Hormone
replacement therapy has brought relief to many women in terms of relieving menopausal
symptoms, but it can also be harmful. A clinical, mammographic and ultrasound examination
of the breasts is advised for the purpose of risk assessment and decision on the way of further
monitoring of those who decide on hormone replacement therapy. By avoiding these few
significant risk factors, it is possible to prevent as much as 40 percent of malignant breast
tumors. We must not neglect secondary prevention either. Regular breast examinations can
prevent breast cancer from becoming life-threatening. Among the radiological methods of
breast examination, the two most effective and most frequently used diagnostic methods are
mammography and breast ultrasound. It is best to come up with a breast cancer prevention plan
for each woman separately, depending on the knowledge of the existence of risk factors during
history taking, the density and structure of the breast tissue, and the woman's age.

Key words: breast cancer, risk factors, prevention, primary prevention, secondary prevention

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