Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women. It is a malignant tumor with the potential to spread to other organs and threaten life.
According to the National Cancer Center, Korea had 24,806 breast cancer patients in 2020.
If breast cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate can be as high as 99 percent with an excellent prognosis.
The risk of breast cancer is generally related to smoking, drinking, and regular health checkups, experts say.
Most breast cancer develops in cells located in lobules and ducts. Risk factors for breast cancer include obesity, alcohol consumption, radiation exposure, and a family history of breast cancer.
Regarding hormones, early menstruation, late menopause, and first childbirth after the age of 30 are cited as possible reasons. So, it may be safer for women to give birth to their first child before turning 30 and maintain breastfeeding for a long time.
To detect breast cancer, doctors use mammography, a low-dose X-ray to see inside the breasts. In some cases, breast ultrasonography can be performed additionally.
Not all lumps in the breast are diagnosed as breast cancer. Benign diseases such as fibroadenoma and fibrocystic disease are more common.
However, these three diseases -- phyllodes tumor, atypical cell hyperplasia, and intraductal papilloma -- are highly likely to develop into breast cancer, according to Seran General Hospital.
Phyllodes tumors
Phyllodes tumors have a leaf-like appearance. It is difficult to distinguish them from fibroadenoma by ultrasound, but phyllodes tumors grow very fast and large.
Generally, phyllodes tumors can be divided into three types -- benign, borderline, and malignant. About 16-30 percent of phyllodes tumors are malignant, and among them, 20-25 percent can metastasize to the lungs or bones. Malignant phyllodes tumors invade surrounding tissue and metastasize to other sites, whereas benign phyllodes tumors do not metastasize but tend to grow rapidly.
Jeong Hong-gyu, director of Seran General Hospital’s Breast Thyroid Clinic, said phylloid tumors must be removed immediately because they show aggressive malignancy like cancer.
“We usually perform wide-area resection, including the lump. If the lump size is small, we can remove it with it can be removed with “Mammotome,” an ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy device.
Atypical ductal hyperplasia
In atypical ductal hyperplasia, cells making up the milk ducts proliferate atypically. Women with this disease have a 1.5-to-5 times higher risk of breast cancer. If such proliferation of cells is observed, the legion requires a local resection and a follow-up.
“If atypical cells have filled the entire duct, it is carcinoma in situ. If they filled it partially, it is atypical ductal hyperplasia,” Jeong said.
“If atypical ductal hyperplasia is observed in multiple sites, they all should be removed.”
Intraductal papilloma
Intraductal papillomas are small tumors located in the milk ducts that often occur in women aged between 35 and 55.
Having papillomas in multiple ducts can increase the risk of breast cancer, according to Jeong.
"Since there are many dangerous tumors of various types, follow-up is essential if health checkups show suspicious results," he said.