Busting Myths About Breast Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Do you already do monthly self-checks and know all there is to know about preventing the disease? Good for you! If you need to brush up, read on as Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) Section Chief of General Surgery Dr. Michelle Savu busts common myths about breast cancer. 

Myth 1: Breast cancer is not very common or serious

One in eight women in the USA will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. While the incidence is low in China, it is increasing. 

Myth 2:  Only older women get breast cancer

While breast cancer is more common in older women, younger women can develop breast cancer. At any age, if you feel a breast lump, it should be evaluated.

Myth 3: Only women with a family history of breast cancer need to do cancer screening

Only 13% of breast cancer patients have a family member who had breast cancer. That means that over 85% of breast cancers appear in women with no family history of breast cancer. However, having a mother, sister, or daughter (first-degree relative), or having multiple family members on either the mother's or father's side of the family, does increase your risk. 

Myth 4: There's nothing I can do to reduce my risk of getting breast cancer

You can make the following lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of getting breast cancer:

• Keep a healthy weight; 

• Exercise regularly (at least four hours a week);

• Get enough sleep (research shows that lack of nighttime sleep can be a risk factor);

• Do not drink alcohol or try to limit alcoholic drinks to no more than one per day;

• If you are taking, or have been told to take, hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives (birth control pills), ask your doctor about the risks and find out if it is right for you;

• Breastfeed any children you may have, if possible.

Myth 5: Having large breasts increases your risk of getting breast cancer

While the size of your breasts doesn't affect your breast cancer risk, women with dense breasts are more likely to get breast cancer. In general, dense breasts tend to sit high on the chest and are more compact and "perky", while less-dense breasts sit lower on the chest. 

Myth 6: If I have a lump in my breast, it's probably breast cancer

80% of breast lumps are benign. The two most common causes of breast lumps are fibrocystic breasts (lumpy, tender, and sore breasts) and cysts (small, fluid-filled sacs). These types of lumps are not cancerous – they're perfectly harmless to your health!

Myth 7: Breast cancer only comes in the form of lumps in the breast

Breast cancer presents in many ways. You may find a new lump in the breast or underarm, but lumps aren't the only sign of breast cancer. 

Make sure you look out for the following symptoms, too: 

• Thickening or swelling of part of the breast;

• Irritation or dimpling of breast skin;

• Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast;

• Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area;

• Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood;

• Any change in the size or the shape of the breast; or

• Pain in any area of the breast (although this is not a common sign of cancer!).

Myth 8: Wearing tight clothes or bras can increase my risk of getting breast cancer

Tight-fitting bras or bras with underwire do not cause or increase your risk of getting breast cancer. 

Myth 9: If I have a high risk of developing breast cancer, having a mastectomy completely erases my risk

For women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, which increases a person's risk of breast cancer, having a mastectomy cuts the risk by 90%. Self-exams and regular screening are still necessary.

Myth 10: Eating lots of soy decreases my risk of breast cancer

There is low-quality evidence that soy-rich diets in Western women may help prevent breast cancer. However, in Asian women, it has shown to decrease the risk of breast cancer. A 2008 meta-analysis (Wu et al,, 2008) of eight studies evaluating the impact of soy food intake and breast cancer risk reported that in Asian women, a high intake of isoflavones (found in high concentrations in soybeans and other legumes) resulted in a 29% reduction in breast cancer risk. In Western women, there was no association with soy intake. However, the highest level of soy intake was only approximately 0.8 mg daily, which may not have been sufficient to observe an effect. 

Myth 11: Breast cancer cannot be cured

If breast cancer is caught in its early stages, 98% of women will survive. This is why screening after the age of 50 for every woman, or earlier for women with risk factors, is important. The earlier we find the cancer, the better the chance for a cure. 

Reference: Wu AH, Yu MC, Tseng CC, Pike MC. Epidemiology of soy exposures and breast cancer risk. Br J Cancer 2008; 98:9

Dr. Michelle Savu is BJU's Section Chief of General Surgery. She specializes in breast surgery, robotic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and the treatment of obesity. To make an appointment with Dr. Savu, call our service center at 4008-919191.