Debunking the breast cancer myths
Today’s guest writer is Elizabeth Nixon, an editor at women’s health website Lifescript.com, where she shares information on the topics of cancer, chemotherapy and patient stories.
Having lost an aunt, uncle and nearly both parents to different types of cancers, I’ve made it my goal to stay up-to-date on cancer research and treatments. And since breast cancer shows few hereditary ties – every woman should be checked for it regularly, regardless of a family history of the disease – it’s one cancer in particular I regularly follow in the media.
With new breast cancer treatment approaches emerging at a breakneck pace, what should every woman know today that she wouldn’t have been told by her doctor five years ago?
At Lifescript.com, we did an interview with Dr. Susan Love*, a UCLA clinical professor of surgery and breast cancer, and author of the best-seller Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book. She revealed some huge myths still being perpetuated about breast cancer. Namely, Love explained how there are at least five different kinds of breast cancer, each needing a tailored treatment plan.
Additionally, Dr. Love suggests breast cancer can be attacked in five different ways.
In the past, Love said, the thinking was the bigger the tumor or the more nodes involved, the more aggressive the treatment needed to be. “Now we’re finding that the treatment needs to match the tumor,” Love said.
Cancer is also not just about mutated cells in your breast(s). While earlier thinking about the disease called for an all-out, no-holds-barred attack against every cell, today’s treatment acknowledges that these cancer cells don’t live in isolation. They interact with healthy tissues, fat cells and blood vessels. In fact, mutated cancer cells can live in women for years doing no harm.
Research and autopsy studies have indicated about 39% of women ages 40 to 50 observed in the research had inactive breast cancer cells that weren’t harming the body.
To get breast cancer, you must have mutated cells but also an environment of tissue that encourages the cancer cells.
Dr. Love debunked some of the most common breast cancer myths. Here are some of her revelations:
- Deodorant does not cause breast cancer.
- Underwire bras do not cause breast cancer.
- Early detection does not equal prevention. In fact, early detection makes a difference in only about one-third of breast cancer cases. –
- Most breast cancer is not hereditary – actually, only 10% of breast cancer is due to a family history of the disease.
- Large breasts do not tend to result in breast cancer more frequently than smaller breasts. Size doesn’t matter in breast cancer because the cancer originates in the milk duct lining, and the number of milk ducts doesn’t vary according to breast size. Breast density, however, is a risk factor and is currently being studied.
It’s likely that at some point in your life, you may hear one or more of these myths listed above. Together we can spread the facts about breast cancer to our well-meaning family and friends.
At Lifescript, we’re trying to do just that – get resources to help separate fact from fiction at Lifescript’s breast cancer health center, plus find many more doctor-reviewed breast cancer articles.
*Read the entire Lifescript interview with Dr. Love about breast cancer
Related:
Social Media Helping To Counter Health Myths
it’s so important to debunk some of the myths surrounding the disease so that we can focus on what really may be the cause and the cure of this disease. Thanks for sharing this post by Elizabeth.
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It’s still quite incredible to me how many urban myths and downright falsehoods about breast cancer persist to this day – so this is an important article to counterbalance the untruths.
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My grandma always maintained that underwire bras caused breast cancer and that back in her day there was less breast cancer because less women wore underwire bras! I think it’s more likely that breast cancer existed but they didn’t know what it was! She persisted with this myth despite any lack of scientific evidence to the contrary until she died (of natural causes) in her nineties.
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Another myth is that that only women get breast cancer. Breast cancer knows no gender. Men get breast cancer too!
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Here’s another myth that persists about cancer – A positive attitude is all you need to beat cancer.There’s no scientific proof that a positive attitude gives you an advantage in cancer treatment or improves your chance of being cured. What a positive attitude can do is improve the quality of your life during cancer treatment and beyond which in turn may enhance your feeling of well-being and help you find the strength to deal with your cancer.
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I agree with you completely. A positive attitude does what you say above, but it does not change the outcome.
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Another myth which we need to debunk is that it’s not breast cancer if there isn’t any pain. Many breast cancers never cause pain.
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Another common belief is that having a biopsy or surgery for cancer will cause the disease to spread. This has led to a lot of fear and anxiety for patients undergoing surgery. The truth is this is a very rare occurrence because surgeons are aware of the potential risk and take precautions to prevent cancer cells from spreading during surgery.
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The Internet has created new ways to spread myths about cancer, so it is good to see an article like this one which dispels the myths
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Many of the myths we hear repeated from generation to generation speak to people’s fears about cancer – because there are many unknowns about the disease, people may be inclined to believe things that are not true if they are repeated often enough. It’s important to get the message out there that cancer is a complicated disease and no one thing is the cause of it.
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Wonderful and informative. Thanks!
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I LOVE Dr Love! and thanks for this concise post.
While I agree that deodorant does not cause breast cancer, I also agree with the increasing number of studies that point to areas in the environment and our diet that play a huge role in “tipping the scales” of wellness and causing normal cells to mutate.
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It’s a complicated disease for sure and there are many factors that come into play – thanks for sharing this link – will check it out.
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Ahhh, deodorant & underwires–two of my favorite mythical causes of BC. My other fave is drinking bottled water as the culprit. It’s so refreshing to hear the facts instead of the fears. Thank you!
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Those three that you mention are very persistent myths Nancy!
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Elizabeth:
My grandmother’s sister died of breast cancer decades ago. The reason according to the family? One day she was sweeping the floor and accidentally hit her breast with the broom stick. It sounds silly today, but people still struggle to make sense of this disease. Thanks for sharing these important facts.
Survival > Existence,
Debbie
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And though we might shake our hands at this Debbie, the fact is that some of these myths have been passed down the generations and are still obscuring the facts.
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Elizabeth,
We must stick with the facts. We must stick with the science. That’s part of the problem in the “pink ribbon culture.” Thank you for doing your part and more.
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And thank YOU Nancy – you do a great job on this too!
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As a women with a history of breast cancer, I’ve heard most of these myths. In the past I didn’t have the energy or courage to confront the purveyor of these legends to avoid perpetuating them. But I’m stronger now and will do all in my power to debunk them. Scare tactics don’t help anyone. Thanks for raising awareness of this issue. XOXO
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You are so right Jan! Scare tactics not only don’t help, but they hinder getting the true facts out there!
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Thank you for such an informative posting. I plan to visit your website soon because I’m intrigued. Yes, I also heard about all these myths. I had dense breasts, so my tumor escaped detection. I found it myself during a breast self exam.
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Hi Beth, of course this is the issue, especially for younger women, whose breasts are denser, that a mammogram may not pick up on a tumor – thanks for highlight this – it’s an important point.
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Reblogged this on The Authentic Me and commented:
In honor of Women’s History Month I am reblogging this post about myths surrounding breast cancer. Breast cancer if discovered early is curable. Please get you mammogram annually. If you don’t have insurance let ME know I will help you find funding.
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This is a terrific article – very welcome. Challenging these widely held beliefs is a real uphill struggle, but we must keen shouting.
Thanks for such an informative and helpful article.
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Thanks Philippa and for all YOU do to challenge the myths too!
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