General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Okuş, who stated that breast pain, which is common in women, can cause breast cancer concerns, but there is no direct relationship between breast pain and breast cancer, drew attention to the need to focus on the mass in the breast rather than breast pain.
It is known that early diagnosis of breast cancer, a type of cancer caused by abnormal growth and proliferation of cells in the breast tissue, saves lives. Mentioning the importance of women to examine themselves first, Medicana Konya Hospital General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Ahmet Okuş emphasized that if there is any change in the nipple, shape or skin tissue, a physician should be consulted immediately. Stating that approximately 50 percent of women complain of breast pain, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Okuş said, “Breast pain can be caused by the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Breast pain 3-4 days before menstruation is considered physiological. The vast majority of breast pain (about 70 percent) is due to hormonal fluctuations. It often goes away after the menstrual period. The remaining 30 percent of the pain is unrelated to this hormonal cycle and is due to other causes (breast masses, inflammation, etc.). It is known that there is no clear relationship between breast pain and breast tumors. Neglecting routine controls should be more important than pain.”
“Not every mass means cancer”
General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Okuş stated that breast self-examination plays an important role in the early detection of breast cancer, recommending breast control once a month, 1 week after the end of the menstrual period, and recommended that menopausal patients should perform breast control once a month on the same day of the month. Pointing out that women who do not have a family history of breast cancer should perform breast self-checks from the age of 25, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Okuş said that this will increase breast cancer awareness in women. Explaining that not every lump is cancer, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Okuş said, “There is no clear relationship between breast pain and breast cancer. There is some edema in the breast before the menstrual period due to female hormones. Therefore, breast checks should be performed after the end of the menstrual period. Because during this period, the edema of the breast due to hormones is resolved. If the breast is checked every day, normal breast tissues may be perceived as a huge mass. However, more important than pain in the breast is the detection of tumors and masses that may occur in the breast when they are very small with screening.”
“Breast tumors start as breast masses”
Stating that breast cancer is the type of cancer that causes the most deaths in women and for this reason, breast pain in women can cause anxiety, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Okuş said, “There are many patients who come in panic thinking that they have breast cancer due to breast pain. Breast tumors start as breast masses and usually progress painlessly. The absence of pain causes a delay in diagnosis. Because even if the mass is noticed by the patient on palpation, the absence of pain may delay the patient's consultation to the physician. It is more important to recognize the mass rather than pain.”
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