THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MAIN MYTHS
Bumping or bruising your breast can cause breast cancer “There is no evidence to suggest a bump or bruise to the breast area causes breast cancer,” said Alana Blair, health information marketing manager at Breast Cancer Now. “After an injury, you might be taking more notice of your breasts and therefore be more likely to notice something unusual.”
Sometimes an injury can lead to a benign (not cancerous) lump known as fat necrosis – scar tissue that can form when the body naturally repairs the damaged fatty breast tissue, added Rachel Rawson. You need training from a healthcare professional to be able to check your breasts properly “There is no set technique to checking your breasts – it’s as easy as touch, look, check, said Alana. Get to know how your breasts look and feel normally, check regularly, and report any unusual changes to your doctor.” Most breast cancer runs in families Only about five per cent of breast cancers are caused by inheriting an altered gene. But if you have several blood relatives who’ve had breast or ovarian cancer, or have blood relatives who were diagnosed with breast cancer when they were under 40, you could be eligible for referral to a genetics specialist, said Alana. “To learn more, visit our online family history guide on the Breast Cancer Now website.” Underwired bras cause cancer “There’s no reliable evidence to support this,” said Rachel.
However, it’s estimated that 80 per cent of women wear the wrong size bra.
If your bra is too tight or too small, the wires can dig into your breasts and cause discomfort, pain or swelling. Mobile phones cause breast cancer “While it’s not possible to isolate any one factor as a cause of breast cancer, there’s no evidence that radio waves from mobile phones cause breast cancer or increase the risk of developing it,” said Rachel. Deodorants and antiperspirants increase your risk of breast cancer “Since the late 90s, rumours about deodorants and antiperspirants causing breast cancer have been rife – but the evidence does not support this claim,” said Alana.
“What is true is that women are asked to avoid using antiperspirants before they go for a mammogram. This is because the aluminium particles in these products can sometimes show up on the X-ray image, resulting in an inaccurate reading.” You can’t get screened if you have breast implants While this isn’t true, if you do have implants, you should let your screening service know before an appointment, advises Alana. “Implants make it hard for a radiographer to see breast tissue, so they may need to take X-rays from different angles to ensure all tissue is seen. They may also need to check it straight away to ensure it has worked properly.”