Breast cancer is the school most common cancer in Korea women. The incidence of breast cancer is around 25 per 100,000 women, and more than 5,500 women are diagnosed as breast cancer annually. Epidemics show that the incidence and mortality of
breast
cancer are increasing due to rapid changes of women’s life style and westernized food and so on. The risk factors for breast cancer include hormone-related factors (early menarche, late menopause, no or late birth, hormone replacement therapy)
and
genetic background. It is hard to change risk factors for breast cancer but early detection strategies are best for decreasing the mortality rate from breast cancer.
Breast self examination, clinical breast examination, and mammography can be used for screening of breast cancer. Breast self examination is not sensitive enough to detect a small cancer but monthly exam makes women be awakening about breast
cancer
and
feel changes of her breast. Meta-analysis shows annual mammography reduces breast cancer mortality around 35% in the ages over 50. Some randomized clinical trials also showed mortality reduction by mammography in the ages of 40s.
Surprisingly, breast cancer is rapidly increasing in late thirties with a peak incidence in forties among Korean women. Whether the early peak makes mammography less accurate is controversial. However, data from qualified screening centers showed
mammography has same sensitivity with that in westerns. Korean Breast Cancer Society and National Cancer Center organized the 1st Consensus meeting for the national guidelines for breast cancer screening on July 24, 2001. We recommend that women
should
have monthly self examination beginning at age 30, should receive biannual clinical breast exam from healthcare providers from age 35, and should receive clinical breast exam and mammography at 1∼2-year intervals after age 40.
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