• 2: Get Informed
  • 2.1: E-Alert
  • 2.2: Newsletter—BCA Source
  • 2.3: En Español
  • 2.4: Newly Diagnosed?
  • 2.5: FAQ
  • 2.6: Healthy Alternatives
  • 2.7: Factsheets/Reports
  • 2.8: Conference Coverage
  • 2.9: Policies
  • 2.10: Resources
  • 2.11: Press Room
• 3: Take Action
  • 3.1: Get Involved with BCA
  • 3.3: Reach Out, Speak Out
  • 3.5: Take Action on Our Campaigns
• 4: Learn About Us
  • 4.1: Mission Statement & Core Values
  • 4.2: BCA’s Plan
  • 4.3: Recent Victories
  • 4.4: Program Priorities
    • 4.4.8: Putting Patients First
    • 4.4.9: Creating Healthy Environments
    • 4.4.10: Inequities in Breast Cancer
  • 4.5: Policies
  • 4.6: Coalitions
  • 4.7: Board of Directors
  • 4.8: Scientific Advisory Board
  • 4.9: National Advisory Council
  • 4.10: Staff
  • 4.11: Annual Report & Financials
  • 4.12: History
  • 4.13: Contact Information
  • 4.14: Employment Opportunities
  • 4.15: Site Information
  • 4.16: Privacy Policy
• 5: Membership
  • 5.1: Become a Member
  • 5.2: BCA Store
  • 5.4: Business Supporters
• 6: Ways To Give

Breast Cancer Myths Debunked

1. If your grandmother and/or mother had breast cancer, you will get it. Having a family history of breast cancer is only one risk factor for the disease, and having one or more risk factors does not mean that you will develop the disease. Having a family member with breast cancer does not mean that you will get the disease, or that you have inherited a genetic risk of breast cancer. Only 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancer cases are explained by an inherited genetic mutation. And some women who have inherited one of the so-called ?breast cancer genes,? putting them at increased risk of breast cancer, will never go on to develop the disease.
2. If you are cancer-free five years after a diagnosis, you are cured. While five-year survival after some cancers does signify a cure, it is not the case for breast cancer. The risk of recurrence of breast cancer is greatest in the first two years after diagnosis, but breast cancer can and does recur at any time, regardless of how many years have passed since an initial diagnosis.
3. Mammograms prevent breast cancer (“Early detection is your best protection”). Mammograms cannot prevent breast cancer. They can only detect cancer that already exists. Breast cancer awareness campaigns urging women to have yearly mammograms are based on the premise that breast cancer found early can be “cured,” but regardless of how small a tumor is when it is detected, some breast cancers are so aggressive that they cannot be effectively treated with the therapies that are currently available. For more about the myth of early detection...
4. Antiperspirants cause breast cancer. A rumor circulating on the Internet reports that “the leading cause of breast cancer is the use of antiperspirant,” claiming that the underarm product inhibits the body from purging toxins. The e-mail adds that nearly all breast cancer tumors occur in the upper outside quadrant of the breast area, where the lymph nodes are located. While that is true, it is also true that breast cancer occurs more often in the left breast. If antiperspirant is the cause, why would that be the case? And since the armpit is not the only place that people perspire, why wouldn’t the body excrete toxins elsewhere? Antiperspirant is way too simple an explanation for a way too complicated disease. However, many body care products do contain ingredients such phthalates and parabens, that have been linked to breast cancer. Learn more at thinkbeforeyoupink.org.
5. A high-fat diet is linked to breast cancer. There are plenty of reasons to avoid a high-fat diet, but breast cancer is not one of them. Studies have not shown that a high-fat diet increases breast cancer risk.
6. One in eight women have breast cancer. This much-quoted statistic is an individual’s cumulative risk over an 85-year lifetime. It does not mean that at any given point, one of every eight women has breast cancer. Rather, it means that if all women lived to be 85, one in eight would develop the disease sometime during her life. The good news is that seven out of eight people will never get breast cancer. The bad news is that the rate is quickly rising: thirty years ago, the lifetime risk was 1 in 20.
7. Stress causes breast cancer. Studies have failed to find any evidence that people who tend to be anxious or stressed are any more likely to develop breast cancer than people who are more relaxed. For more on personality and breast cancer risk…
8. Pollutants are not linked to breast cancer risk. Powerful evidence indicates that there is a connection between chemicals and breast cancer. While we pursue the research that will lead to even more definitive answers, we can and should reduce our exposure to substances that appear to cause cancer. For more on environmental links to breast cancer read “State of the Evidence: What Is the Connection Between Chemicals and Breast Cancer?”
9. Positive thinking will prolong your life after breast cancer. There is no evidence to show that an optimistic attitude in the face of a breast cancer diagnosis can increase the chances of survival. There are times when a positive attitude is the only thing that gets you out of bed in the morning, but it is also perfectly normal and healthy to feel sadness, anger or fear after a breast cancer diagnosis. Falsely putting on a happy face can actually increase your sense of isolation and interfere with your ability to cope.
10. If you get breast cancer, you will probably die. A breast cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. While breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women (after lung cancer), the vast majority of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago are still alive.