Nowadays on the Internet there are many myths about breast cancer, why it occurs and what provokes it. Below are the most frequently asked questions.
Myth № 1 about breast cancer:
Frequent or daily consumption of dairy products leads to breast cancer.
Myths persist about the use of dairy products and increase the risk of breast cancer. Studies have shown that the use of dairy products does not increase the likelihood of breast cancer.
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Myth № 2 about breast cancer:
Breast lump found during palpation indicates breast cancer.
Even if a breast lump is found, only a small percentage can really be cancer. The truth is that if the detected tumor formation does not disappear, has a tendency to grow, or a change in breast tissue occurs, it is important not to wait but to immediately consult a doctor for a medical examination. More detailed information on breast condition will be given by a diagnostic examination: mammography, ultrasound, MRI.
Be responsible for your health, regularly perform palpation of the breast, and undergo a preventive examination at the mammologist and mammography.
Important!
During self-diagnosis, use the triad of symptoms:
- The presence of a lump or tumor that does not disappear or grows.
- Pain that does not pass.
- Discharge from the nipple of different consistency and color.
If at least one of the symptoms is present, immediately seek medical help!
Myth № 3 about breast cancer:
Breast cancer occurs only in women.
Despite the fact that the percentage of breast cancer among men is no more than 1% of all breast tumors, it also occurs. Men also need to check regularly the condition of their mammary glands, for example, in the shower. Any changes must be reported to your family doctor or during preventive examinations.
Most often, breast cancer in men shows up as a solid lump beneath the areola. Due to low awareness mortality among men is much higher, because a malignancy in the breast is found in them at a much later time than treatment can help.
Myth № 4 about breast cancer:
Irradiation of mammography (MG) can cause breast cancer.
The exposure rate for mammography is very low and remains the gold standard for early detection of breast cancer. Thanks to MG examination and early detection of cancer, it was possible to reduce mortality from breast cancer by 30%. Compression of the chest during X-ray examination can not cause cancer, and the risk of harm from radiation exposure is extremely small.
Important!
After 40 years age an annual mammogram is required. If you have questions or problems regarding the diagnosis, be sure to discuss them with the breast specialist.
Myth № 5 about breast cancer:
If relatives have had cases of breast cancer, then you will also have it.
Women are at increased risk if there are breast cancer cases in their family history. But such cases are 5-10% compared with those who did not have a family breast cancer.
A close relationship has been established between the risk of developing breast cancer and a hereditary predisposition:
- Women who have mothers, daughters, or sisters with breast cancer before the age of 50 should constantly undergo diagnosis from 10 years before the age of diagnosis of cancer.
- In some types of cancer, for example, in bilateral breast cancer, the risk of illness in immediate relatives increases 9 times and occurs in 50% of cases.
- Women whose aunt or grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer also have an increased risk of occurrence, but not the same as the next of kin.
- If a breast cancer has been diagnosed in several generations on the same side of the family, or in several people from close relatives, the probability of cancer increases several times, because there is a gene that promotes breast growth.
Myth №6 about breast cancer:
Breast cancer can get infected.
You cannot get breast cancer and pass it on to someone, because cancer is the result of mutational changes in oncogenes and the genes that control cell growth and division. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can reduce and prevent the occurrence of cancer, and routine examination in the presence of risk factors and after 40 years, allows you to identify malignant tumors of the breast at an early stage.
Myth № 7 about cancer of the mammary gland:
The identified mutation of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mandatory will lead to breast cancer
Recent studies by the National Cancer Institute of America among families that carry the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations have determined that not every woman carries a harmful mutation, and that this mutation does not always lead to the development of breast or ovarian cancer. But the risk of cancer in the presence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in such women increases fivefold.
In this case, preventive measures are used:
- Hormone therapy with Tamoxifen.
- Surgical prophylactic approach in the form of bilateral prophylactic mastectomy with the restoration of the mammary gland using plastic surgery.
- Surgical prophylactic removal of the ovaries and Fallopian tubes, because there is no reliable way to diagnose ovarian cancer at an early stage.
Women who have ovariectomy before age 35 have a low risk of breast cancer.
Myth № 8 about cancer of the mammary gland:
The use of hygiene means in the form of anti-antiperspirants and deodorants causes breast cancer.
It is believed that chemicals that when sprayed are absorbed through the skin of the armpits, penetrate the lymph nodes and may have a carcinogenic effect.
In 2002, an epidemiological study was conducted, during which 813 women with breast cancer and 793 healthy women were surveyed. As a result, no patterns and links were found between the use of antiperspirants, deodorants and cases of cancer.
Important!
Your doctor may ask you not to use an antiperspirant on a mammogram day, because aluminum in an antiperspirant can cause glare on an X-ray, very similar to microcalcifications, signs of breast cancer, and the image may be misinterpreted by a radiologist.
According to the materials of the National Cancer Institute of the United States of America.
Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in Israel is now reaching a fundamentally new level. Every day there are joint discoveries by American and Israeli clinical scientists in the field of developing and researching new types of drugs and cancer treatment, as well as precision (personalized) treatment to achieve complete remission. If you need advice from an Israeli breast cancer treatment specialist, you can call us, chat, or apply through the form.
