Early screening can significantly improve treatment success rates

The 5-year survival rate for early breast cancer patients (stage 0 and stage I) can reach over 95%, with some patients achieving clinical cure, living long-term without affecting normal life. As the disease progresses to middle and late stages, the 5-year survival rate declines sharply, with late-stage breast cancer patients having only about a 20% 5-year survival rate.

Early screening helps doctors detect lesions at the nascent stage of breast cancer, allowing timely comprehensive treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and endocrine therapy, to maximally eliminate cancer cells and reduce the risk of recurrence and metastasis.

Common breast cancer screening methods include breast self-examination, breast ultrasound, mammography, and MRI, which can detect tiny tumors that may cause no symptoms, accurately capturing abnormal signals and securing a valuable time window for treatment. Generally, high-risk individuals can start screening as early as 35 years old, and women over 40 should have annual mammography and clinical breast exams, combined with breast ultrasound and MRI to improve screening accuracy.

Early screening can effectively reduce mortality

The reason early screening reduces mortality is that it achieves "early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment" of breast cancer, nipping the cancer in the bud and preventing the disease from progressing to uncontrollable stages. For those with high-risk factors, such as a family history of breast cancer, early menarche or late menopause, and long-term hormone replacement therapy, early screening is a crucial measure to reduce mortality. Through regular screening, high-risk individuals can detect potential lesions earlier and intervene promptly, effectively lowering the risk of breast cancer incidence and death.

Early screening can alleviate patients’ physical and psychological suffering and economic burden

The treatment process for middle and late-stage breast cancer is often complex and prolonged. Patients must endure physical pain from surgical trauma and side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as psychological pressure such as anxiety, fear, and depression. The treatment costs are high, including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy fees.

In contrast, early breast cancer treatment is relatively simple, with smaller surgical scope, faster postoperative recovery, shorter radiotherapy and chemotherapy courses, milder side effects, and better quality of life for patients.

Statistics show that treatment costs for late-stage breast cancer patients can reach hundreds of thousands of yuan on average, while early breast cancer treatment costs are relatively lower; early screening is indeed a "small investment for big returns," offering good cost-effectiveness. Moreover, early detection and treatment help patients return to normal work and life faster, reducing work absences and income loss caused by illness, positively impacting their financial situation and quality of life.

Early screening can enhance public health awareness and cancer prevention knowledge

By implementing early screening programs, medical institutions and public health departments can educate women on breast cancer’s high-risk factors, early symptoms, screening methods, and prevention measures, enhancing public awareness and attention. Encouraging attention to personal health and actively changing unhealthy habits—such as maintaining a balanced diet, exercising moderately, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol, and performing regular breast self-examinations—helps reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Early screening is the foundation for achieving precision medicine in breast cancer

The premise of precision medicine is accurate diagnosis and staging of breast cancer, and early screening is an important means to achieve precise diagnosis. For breast cancer detected by early screening, doctors can use pathology, genetic testing, and other technologies to clarify tumor pathology, molecular subtypes, and gene mutations, formulating personalized treatment plans for patients.

For example, for early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer patients, targeted therapy drugs can be combined with surgery and chemotherapy to improve treatment efficacy; for hormone receptor-positive patients, endocrine therapy can be used to reduce recurrence risk. Early screening provides a solid foundation for precision medicine, making breast cancer treatment more scientific, effective, and personalized.

In summary, breast cancer early screening is an important defensive line for protecting women’s health, with significant roles in improving treatment success rates, reducing mortality, alleviating physical and psychological suffering and economic burdens, enhancing health awareness, and realizing precision medicine. Cultivating the good habit