April 15-21, 2022 is the 28th National Cancer Prevention Awareness Week, The theme of this year’s publicity week is “Early Action for Cancer Prevention and Control”, which aims to actively advocate everyone to be the first responsible person for their own health, correctly understand cancer, actively prevent and control cancer, establish the concept of tertiary cancer prevention, and practice a healthy and civilized lifestyle , take the initiative to participate in cancer prevention health examinations, achieve early prevention, early detection, early diagnosis, early treatment, reduce cancer incidence and mortality, improve cancer early diagnosis rate and survival rate, effectively curb the harm of cancer, and improve the health of the people.

1. If a lung nodule is detected, is it lung cancer?

Lung nodules are not equal to lung cancer, and it is reported that more than 90% of lung nodules are ultimately not lung cancer. Pulmonary nodules of different natures and sizes have different management plans, but all need to be diagnosed with lung cancer through further follow-up observation or clinical examination, such as cytological examination, needle biopsy, etc.

Two, there is a nodule on the thyroid, is it thyroid cancer?

A thyroid nodule, a mass that grows on or within the thyroid gland, is relatively common, but only about 1 % of nodules are malignant. If a thyroid nodule is found in the physical examination, do not worry too much, further examination is required to confirm whether it is benign or malignant.

Three, breast ultrasound report shows breast hyperplasia, will this disease be cancerous?

Mammary gland hyperplasia does not directly lead to breast cancer, so don’t be too nervous to hear the diagnosis of “mammary gland hyperplasia”. Breast enlargement is a common symptom associated with cyclical changes in hormone levels, and most breast enlargements remain benign. But some hyperplasias, such as atypical breast hyperplasia, may be a precancerous condition. This condition accounts for 1 percent or less of breast cancers.

Women without breast hyperplasia also need regular breast examinations to avoid delaying the early detection of real cancer.

4. Can “breast care” and “breast detoxification” prevent cancer?

The mammary gland is not a metabolic organ of the body, so the possibility of it being metabolized (“detoxing”) is very small, especially during non-breastfeeding periods. There is no clinical scientific basis to prove that breast massage or some simple operations can reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, some patients were found to have breast lumps by the massage therapist during massage, and breast cancer was detected when they went to the hospital. But in fact, in many cases, breast lumps can also be felt by themselves, so everyone is encouraged to do regular breast self-examination according to the correct method.

5. Will HPV infection lead to cervical cancer?

HPV is human papillary Abbreviation for tumor virus, which is divided into high-risk and low-risk types according to their pathogenicity. Infection with low-risk HPV does not develop into cervical cancer. Persistent infection of high-risk HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer, including HPV-16, HPV-18, HPV-31, HPV-33, HPV-35, HPV-39, HPV-45, HPV-51, HPV- 52, HPV-56, HPV-58, HPV-59 and HPV-68, among which HPV-16 and HPV-18 are the most common types. HPV is mainly transmitted through sexual behavior, and a few can be transmitted through direct contact with skin and mucous membranes.

About 90 % of sexually active men and women will be exposed to HPV at some point in their lives, and the HPV infection rate of the general population in my country is about 15 %. Although HPV infection is very common, about 90 percent of those infected clear spontaneously within two years of HPV infection.

only less than Persistent HPV infection occurs in 10% of people, which may develop into cervical precancer or invasive cancer over a period of 10-20 years. And the progression from persistent HPV infection to low-grade and high-grade lesions is reversible. That is, even high-grade disease may reverse to low-grade disease, and low-grade disease may regress without any treatment.

But please note that clinical follow-up work must be done well, and high-grade lesions must be treated in time (except during pregnancy).

Reference: National Cancer Center. Guidelines for Cancer Prevention and Screening (Science Edition) [M]. People’s Health Publishing House: Beijing , 2021: 23,32,76-77

[This issue of experts]

Li Han, Health of Shenyang Health Service Center Minister of the Fifth Ministry of Education, Chief Traditional Chinese Medicine Physician, Doctor of Medicine, Postdoctoral Fellow in Zhanzhan. Executive Director of Sleep Branch of Chinese Association for Ethnic Medicine, Standing Committee Member of Youth Traditional Chinese Medicine Committee of Liaoning Provincial Association of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, Member of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Professional Committee of Liaoning Provincial Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Liaoning Province Hundred Thousand Talents Project Ten Thousand Talents, Shenyang Health Education Member of the expert lecturer group, selected into the well-known expert database of health education in Shenyang.