Breast health and life span

There is no direct causal link between breast health and lifespan - it does not mean that having nodules or hyperplasia in the breasts will necessarily lead to a short life, nor does it mean that completely healthy breasts will mean a long life. The relationship between the two is indirect, mainly through three paths: malignant breast disease, combined systemic health problems, and psychological intervention. This impact is extremely elastic, and early intervention can even eliminate it completely.

When I was rotating in the breast surgery department last year, I met a 42-year-old middle school teacher. Her work unit showed that breast ductal cancer was in the early stage during a physical examination. The first thing she said when she entered the clinic with the report was, "Doctor, I won't live long. My son is still in junior high school." I showed her the statistics from the National Cancer Center for 2023: The incidence of female breast cancer in my country indeed ranks first among female malignant tumors. The peak incidence is concentrated in the golden age of 45-55 years old. However, the 5-year survival rate of early-stage breast cancer has exceeded 92%. As long as the treatment is standardized, there is almost no difference between the subsequent life expectancy and that of normal people. It has now been 3 years since her operation, and everything is normal during regular check-ups. The last time she came for a follow-up visit, she brought her son's competition certificate with her. Her overall condition is better than that of many peers who are not sick.

Speaking of this, some people may ask, is it only breast cancer that affects life span? Don't tell me, I met a 23-year-old girl in the past two years. She secretly took "growth factors" sold by WeChat merchants in order to enlarge her breasts. Eventually, her breasts became ulcerated and infected, causing sepsis. She was sent to the ICU for a week to save her life. After that, her immune system was damaged and she had to take immunosuppressants all year round. Most of her originally good body was broken, and her subsequent life expectancy was bound to be affected. This kind of non-tumor breast damage is easily ignored by many people, but it is actually an important factor related to life span.

Regarding the relationship between the two, there have been two schools of thought in the academic community. The traditional epidemiological view is more inclined to the "risk warning theory": as an organ that is extremely sensitive to hormone levels, the health status of the breast is essentially a barometer of the endocrine and metabolic status of the whole body. For example, long-term high-fat diet, staying up late, and abuse of exogenous hormones can not only induce breast hyperplasia, nodules, and even cancer, but also increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and metabolic diseases—these diseases are the core factors that affect life span, and breast problems are just red lights that appear in advance. A cohort study published in The Lancet Oncology two years ago also mentioned that if people diagnosed with benign breast disease can adjust their lifestyle in time, the probability of subsequent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases is 30% lower than that of people who continue to build their bodies without discovering the problem. This is equivalent to small breast problems helping you avoid greater health risks.

Another group of scholars in the field of public health feel that the connection between the two has been overstated. When I attended an academic conference, I heard a speech by an old professor, saying that many popular sciences now link breast hyperplasia, benign nodules and "cancerous risk" to "short-lived", which has created unnecessary anxiety. He has a cohort that has been followed for 20 years. Among more than 3,000 women with benign breast nodules, as long as they insist on annual physical examinations, less than 2% of their lifespan will be affected by breast problems. On the contrary, those who are anxious every day to the point of insomnia and eat health products indiscriminately have a 40% higher probability of shortened lifespan than others.

In fact, breasts are like two small peach trees planted in front of your chest. If you water them regularly (breast ultrasound/mammography is done once a year) and catch small aphids (benign nodules) when they grow, they can stay with you safely for decades. If you don't care about it, if the insects get to the roots of the tree (the cancer will spread to distant places), it will affect the ecology of the entire yard (whole body health). I have a distant cousin who is 47 years old and has been followed up for almost 10 years with Category 3 breast nodules. She usually doesn’t think blindly about whether she should do square dancing or eat hot pot. Last year’s physical examination showed no change except for the nodules. Her blood lipids and blood sugar are more normal than mine, a young man who stays up late every day.

Many people's anxiety about breast health is actually far greater than the harm of the disease itself.

Don’t think that only women need to be concerned about this issue. Last year, I treated a 61-year-old male patient. I thought it was impossible for men to get breast disease. He had a hard lump in his left chest that hurt for half a year. It was found out that it was late-stage breast cancer that had metastasized to the lungs. The 5-year survival rate was less than 20%. He was originally at an age where he could enjoy a comfortable life after retirement, but now he can only rely on chemotherapy to survive.

In the final analysis, when we pay attention to breast health, we are essentially paying attention to the state of the entire body. Don't regard it as a scourge, and don't think that it has nothing to do with you. Taking 10 minutes every year to do a breast ultrasound, staying up less late at night, and using less unidentified breast enhancement and menstruation supplements will be much more effective than reading popular science every day and worrying blindly. After all, every organ that can accompany us well into old age deserves to be treated well.