Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international health campaign organized by breast cancer charities and health care organizations every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and cure. Since efforts to raise awareness around breast cancer have been going on for decades, it’s probably safe to say many of us have heard about how to do monthly self-exams, when to get regular check-ups and know the risk factors for this disease. So instead of providing information you may have already heard, this month we are focusing on dispelling some of the myths and misinformation on breast cancer.
Myth: Breast cancer always comes in the form of a lump.
Reality: A lump may indicate breast cancer (or one of many benign breast conditions), but women should also be on the alert for other kinds of changes that may be signs of cancer. These include swelling; skin irritation or dimpling; breast or nipple pain; nipple retraction (turning inward); redness, thickening of the nipple or breast skin; or a discharge other than breast milk. Breast cancer can also spread to underarm lymph nodes and cause swelling there before a tumor in the breast is large enough to be felt. It’s also important to know that a mammogram may pick up breast cancer that has no outward symptoms at all, so it’s crital to ensure you have regular check-ups.
Myth: Small-breasted women have less chance of getting breast cancer.
Reality: There's no connection between the size of your breasts and your risk of getting breast cancer.
Myth: Wearing antiperspirant increases your risk of getting breast cancer.
Reality: The American Cancer Society admits that more research is needed.
Myth: All women have a 1-in-8 chance of getting breast cancer.
Reality: Your risk increases as you get older. A woman’s chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer is about 1 in 233 when she's in her 30s and rises to 1 in 8 by the time she reaches 85.
Myth: If you're at risk for breast cancer, there's little you can do but watch for the signs.
Reality: There are many things women can do to lower their risk of breast cancer, including losing weight if obese, regular exercise, quitting smoking, lowering or eliminating alcohol consumption, being rigorous about self-exams and having regular mammograms.
Myth: Women with lumpy breasts (also known as fibrocystic breast changes) have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
Reality: For woman with lumpy breasts, it can be trickier to differentiate between normal and cancerous tissue, however, there is no indication a connection exists between lumpier breasts and the risk for developing breast cancer.
Myth: Overweight women have the same breast cancer risk as other women.
Reality: Being overweight or obese certainly increases your breast cancer risk—especially if you're past menopause and/or you gained the weight later in life. It is recommended that all women age 40 and older receive a mammogram every year.
Myth: Only women with a family history of breast cancer are at risk.
Reality: Roughly 70% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors for the disease. However, if a first-degree relative (a parent, sibling, or child) has had or has breast cancer, your risk of developing the disease approximately doubles. Having two first-degree relatives with the disease increases your risk even more.
Myth: Most breast lumps are cancerous.
Reality: Roughly 80% of lumps in women's breasts are caused by benign (noncancerous) changes, cysts, or other conditions. However, to be on the safe side, doctors encourage women to report all changes.
Breast Cancer in the Shanghai Community
This month the Shanghai Breast Cancer Network, founded by Susan Vassallo (previous article link), will be present at events hosted by Brits Abroad, Australian Organization, Shanghai Expat Association and American Women’s coffee mornings. “We are a very small group”, Susan says, “but we try and reach out to as many people as possible. I can confirm that the money we have raised in previous years has now been spent on having 3000 five year diaries for all the local ladies who are diagnosed with breast cancer at the local cancer hospital in Shanghai.”
References:
http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20189445_3,00.html
http://www.wearitpink.co.uk/
http://www-dep.iarc.fr/
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/statistics.asp http://events.breastcancercare.org.uk/server/show/nav.173
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