5 Myths About Breast Cancer

With breast cancer being the most common cancer amongst women, there are also many myths flying around. We debunk five of them for you on the occasion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

MYTH 1: Breast cancer always causes a lump you can feel.
A common misconception is that breast cancer always causes a lump that can be felt during a self-exam. They might use this as a reason to skip mammograms, thinking they will be able to feel any change that will indicate a problem. A mammogram can find a cancerous lump before it can be felt. While breast cancer does not always cause an obvious lump, it is possible that by the time it does, the cancer might have already spread beyond the breast into the lymph nodes. Although regular self-exams are recommended, they are not a substitute for regular mammograms.
 

MYTH 2: Annual mammograms will guarantee the early detection of breast cancer.
Standard mammograms miss an estimated 20 percent of breast cancers at the time of screening. Though x-ray mammography is a widely recognized early screening tool, false negatives can occur, especially in women with dense breast tissue, and in some cases, fast-growing cancer can develop between screenings. Especially for those at higher risk, additional screening such as contrast-enhanced mammography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be an important option. 
 

MYTH 3: Small breasts equal a smaller risk of breast cancer.
Most breast cancers form outside of the fatty tissues of a woman’s breasts. Therefore, breast density is more important than breast size when it comes to risk and screening. In fact, this is the only physical breast characteristic proven to increase a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer. Women with more than 75 percent dense breast tissue face a four-to-six times greater risk. Because it’s difficult to detect tumors in dense breast tissue with standard x-ray mammography, as the tumors appear white just as the tissue itself, cancer is more often missed or found later in advanced stages in these women. Contrast-enhanced mammography or MRI may reveal additional breast cancers as these methods depict the blood vessels that are present in growing tumors. 
 

MYTH 4: You can’t change your odds of getting breast cancer. 
Many of the most important risk factors for breast cancer are beyond our control, such as gender, age, genetics, and personal and family medical history. However, there are several steps that women can take to lower their risk, such as maintaining a healthy diet and weight. More fat tissue leads to higher estrogen levels, which can increase breast cancer risk. Evidence is growing that regular physical activity reduces breast cancer risk, especially in women past menopause. The American Cancer Society recommends that adults get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week (or a combination of these). Also, drinking alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.