When it comes to breast cancer, there’s a lot of information out there. While most of it is true, some of it is just plain false. Take a look at these top myths.
Myth 1. If you feel a lump in your breast, it means you have breast cancer.
Most breast lumps aren’t breast cancer. The lump, which can vary in size based on the time of the menstrual cycle, may be due to a fibrocystic condition. And its location may feel similar when you do a self-exam on both breasts.
Fibrocystic conditions of the breast are common in women from 20 years of age until menopause. A lump felt in only one breast may be a benign or noncancerous tumor. But, just to be sure, talk to your doctor if you feel a lump in your breast.
Myth 2. If you feel pain in your breast, it means you have breast cancer.
It’s common for women of childbearing age to feel pain in their breasts at certain times during their menstrual cycles, especially just before their periods.
But if you’re concerned about pain in your breast, regardless of your age, see your doctor for an exam.
Myth 3. If you have no symptoms in your breasts, it means you don’t have breast cancer.
Many people diagnosed with breast cancer have no symptoms. Besides self-examinations and annual breast exams, you should have regular mammograms.
The schedule for regular mammograms depends on your age. Mammograms help to detect breast cancer before it causes symptoms, allowing you to get early diagnosis and treatment.
Myth 4. If after you have a routine mammogram your doctor recommends that you have further testing, it means you have breast cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute, only 1 out of 20 women called back for further testing after screening mammograms are positive for breast cancer.
Myth 5. Having breast cancer means that you’ll lose your breast.
Not everyone with breast cancer who has surgery has to undergo a complete mastectomy. Different types of breast-conserving surgery are possible, depending on the extent of the tumor.
Many women with early stage breast cancer can have effective treatment with surgical removal of the tumor called a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy. Only some women with stage 5 breast cancer undergo surgery of the breast.
Even if you had a complete mastectomy, you may be a candidate for surgical reconstruction of the breast.
Myth 6. Having breast cancer means that you will have to have chemotherapy.
Whether chemotherapy is recommended to reduce the likelihood of recurrence for early-stage breast cancer depends on the type, stage, and recurrence score of the breast cancer.
The recurrence score helps determine if you will benefit from chemotherapy. Some patients with early-stage or advanced stage breast cancer receive hormone therapy or therapy targeted to the HER2 receptors on the surface of their cancer cells. Sometimes this is done instead of chemotherapy or in addition to chemotherapy.
Myth 7. Having breast cancer means that you will lose your hair.
Chemotherapy medicines affect rapidly dividing cells, like cancer cells, more than other cells. Because hair follicles in the skin of the scalp and body contain rapidly dividing cells, hair follicles can be damaged by certain types of chemo.
Only certain chemo medications cause complete hair loss. Other chemo drugs may cause variable hair loss in some women.
Some chemo drugs are not associated with hair loss. Because of all the treatment options, some people treated for breast cancer do not lose their hair.
Myth 8. Most women with breast cancer have or had a family member with breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, 90 percent of breast cancers result from lifestyle habits that include the following:
- obesity
- alcohol consumption
- inactivity
- environmental factors
Only an estimated 5 to 10 percent of cases of breast cancer are associated with gene mutations inherited from a parent.
Myth 9. Underwire bras can cause breast cancer.
A 2014 study showed no significant difference in risk of breast cancer between women wearing and not wearing bras.
Myth 10. Deodorants and antiperspirants can cause breast cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute, no research has shown that use of deodorants or antiperspirants results in breast cancer.
Also, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have proof that any of the ingredients in underarm deodorants or antiperspirants result in cancer.
Myth 11. Only adult women get breast cancer.
Although breast cancer can occur in females of any age, it’s rare in children and teenagers. A review article in the journal Seminars in Plastic Surgery reported that only one in a million females under the age of 20 develop breast cancer. The symptom usually is a large, hard lump.
Myth 12. Only females get breast cancer.
Breast cancer in women is approximately 100 times more common than in men. But, according to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 2,600 men in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive types of breast cancer in 2016.
Symptoms in men include a lump beneath the nipple and color change in the area surrounding the nipple. Men should perform regular self-exams. Due to lack of awareness about the existence of breast cancer in men, they tend not to seek a diagnosis right away, so the cancer is more difficult to treat or cure.
