Myth: Only women with a family history of cancer get breast cancer.
Truth: Having a family history increases your risk, but 90 percent of women who get breast cancer have no family history of breast cancer.
Myth: Finding a lump in your breast means you definitely have breast cancer.
Truth: Eight out of ten lumps are benign-not cancerous. Do not let the appearance of a lump frighten you to the point that you're afraid to see a doctor.
Myth: Men do not get breast cancer.
Truth: This year, 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer.The cancer is rare in men, but it does occur.1
Myth: Only women in their forties and fifties get breast cancer.
Truth: I was thirty-five when my breast cancer was diagnosed, and doctors recommend that all women have a mammogram at age thirty-five. I'm amazed that some doctors still advise patients to have a baseline mammogram at forty-I think you should have it early. I had no family history of cancer yet was diagnosed at age thirty-five. I'm no medical expert, but I highly recommend getting a baseline mammogram at age thirty-five and making sure you do regular breast self-exams at home. I took chemo with several women even younger than I was. You are never too young to examine your breasts for changes!
Myth: Antiperspirants and deodorants can cause breast cancer.
Truth: An urban legend traveling over the Internet claims that the leading cause of breast cancer is clogged pores in the underarm area. This is simply not true. If it were, why do more breast cancers occur in the left breast?
Myth: Mammograms can cause breast cancer to spread.
Truth: A mammogram is simply an X-ray of the breast. Mammography is the best way to spot a cancerous growth, and it could save your life.
Myth: If you are cancer-free five years after being treated, you are cured from breast cancer.
Truth: Though some cancers can be considered "cured" after five years, breast cancer can recur at any time.
Myth: A high-fat diet can cause breast cancer.
Truth: A high-fat diet is not good for you, but it has not been directly linked to breast cancer.
Myth: If you're at high risk for breast cancer, there's nothing you can do about it.
Truth: There are several ways to reduce your risk of breast cancer, though you cannot eliminate all risk. One way to reduce your risk is by changing your lifestyle (e.g., minimize alcohol consumption, stop smoking, and incorporate regular exercise into your week).
Myth: An injury to the breast can cause breast cancer.
Truth: An injury to the breast may result in the detection of breast cancer, but it will not cause it.
Myth: Only large-breasted women get breast cancer.
Truth: Every woman has some risk of breast cancer, regardless of her race, breast size, or socioeconomic status. Even women who have had their breasts removed still have some risk because some breast tissue remains.2
Myth: If you get breast cancer, you will probably die.
Truth: A diagnosis of breast cancer is not a death sentence. Though breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women (after lung cancer), the majority of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago are still alive.3
1 "Cancer Myths," National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/cancer_myths/index.html.
2 "The Most Common Myths about Breast Cancer," Women's Health Care, http://www.mjbovo.com/BreastCaMyths.htm.
3 "Top 10 Breast Cancer Myths Debunked," http://www.bcaction.org/Pages/GetInformed/Top10Myths.html.
