Factors affecting the risk of breast cancer can be divided into uncontrolled:

- with increasing age, the risk of breast cancer increases, reaching its maximum

maximum in postmenopause.

- the presence of mutations in genes whose function is related to cell cycle regulation and/or

DNA repair - BRCA1 and BRCA2, p53, PTEN, etc.

and controlled:

- age during the first pregnancy

- number of pregnancies, IVF

- the number of abortions

- breastfeeding

- taking hormonal drugs

- concomitant gynecological pathology, endocrine diseases

- diet and exercise level

- alcohol consumption

- exposure to ionizing radiation, mechanical injuries, operations

- working conditions with occupational hazards

Doctor: Novikova Inna Valeryevna

In the first place among the large arsenal of modern methods for diagnosing breast diseases

remains a clinical examination, consisting of anamnesis collection, examination and

palpation of the mammary glands and regional lymph nodes.

Ultrasound has been used to examine the breast since the mid-70s of the last

century, for more than 50 years. Currently, ultrasound of the mammary glands is widely used to

detect diffuse mastopathy, ductal pathology, cysts, benign nodular

pathology, and malignant tumors.

This is a highly informative, effective, non-invasive and safe method that has its

advantages.:

- the possibility of widespread use in all women, with and without complaints,

for preventive purposes

- safety and information in pregnant and lactating women (for example, during diagnosis

lactostasis, mastitis)

- no radiation exposure

- no special training is required before ultrasound

However, it is worth noting that no diagnostic method, even the most modern one, gives a 100%

result.

The main disadvantages of ultrasound include:

- low information content in case of breast fat involution

- the inability to visualize small non-palpable tumors up to 4-5 mm,

represented by an accumulation of microcalcinates, and against the background of a local severe

restructuring of the structure of the mammary glands.

Ultrasound is not the only, but only one of the methods of comprehensive breast examination.

Mammography, MRI, and other radiation diagnostic methods are used to visualize the breast, in addition to ultrasound examination.

Women over the age of 40 need to perform mammography of both mammary glands in two

projections (Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation dated January 28, 2021 No. 29N) once every 2 years, in

over the age of 50 – annually.

Doctor: Novikova Inna Valeryevna

A woman of any age should perform monthly breast self-examination, and

if changes are detected, consult a specialist. Healthy women aged 19-39 years

are regularly examined by a mammologist at least once every 2 years.

The ultrasound picture of unchanged mammary glands is variable, in the reproductive period

it primarily depends on the phase of the menstrual cycle. For any breast examination

, the optimal days after the end of menstruation are from the 5th to the 14th day of the month.

Doctor: Novikova Inna Valeryevna