Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a scary disease that affects mostly women, although men can develop breast cancer too. Below are some things to be aware of.

Risks:

Age – women over 50² [This is just another good reason to never get older. Stop your birthdays now! Have anniversaries instead like Dr. Carm.]

Personal history²

Family history² [Unfortunately you can pick your nose, but not your family.]

BRCA1, BRCA2, and CHEK2 genes²—these genes can cause a 80% chance of breast cancer development¹

Exposure to female hormones (natural or medicated)-levels/duration of ovarian hormone (this stimulates cell growth). For example, early first menstruation, late menopause.^2,3
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) such as estrogen therapy, as well as, menstruation starting before age 12 or menopause starting after age 55 increases your risk¹

First pregnancy at a later age (older than 30) or never giving birth^1,3

Obesity (poor diet and low exercise)² – This is controversial. “The theory is that obese women produce more estrogen, which can fuel the development of breast cancer”¹

Excess alcohol consumption² [*sigh*]

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) – used during pregnancy in 1940-1971 to prevent miscarriages and other pregnancy problems^1,3

“About 20-30% of women with breast cancer have a family history of the disease”¹

Radiation – radiation in the chest area. “The younger you started such radiation and the higher the dose, the higher your risk—especially if the radiation was given during breast development”¹

[Please note that some factors in pregnancy may decrease the risk of breast cancer and other cancers such as ovarian and endometrial. “Being pregnant more than once or becoming pregnant at an early age reduces your risk of breast cancer.]^1,3

Symptoms:

Early breast cancer usually does not cause symptoms, hence the need for breast exams¹

Changes to breast size, shape, or feel^1,2

Dimpling, rash, or skin changes²

Lumpiness or thickening of the breast (or armpit)^1,2

Unusual or persistent breast pain²

Nipple soreness or fluid discharge^1,2

Swelling or discomfort in armpit²

For men – symptoms include: breast lump, breast pain, or tenderness¹

Advanced Symptoms:

Bone Pain, Breast pain/discomfort, skin ulcers, swelling of one arm, weight loss¹

Exams and Tests:

Breast MRI¹

Breast ultrasound¹

Breast biopsy¹

CT scan¹

Mammography¹

PET scan¹

Sentinal lymph node biopsy¹

 

Treatments:

Lumpectomy – removal of the lump with radiotherapy^1,2

Mastectomy surgery – removal of breast itself^1,2

Chemotherapy^1,2

Axillary clearance – removal of affected lymph nodes²

Hormonal therapy^1,2

Radiation therapy¹

Targeted therapy¹

 

Controversy: What do you think?

A quick summary

A study was done by Grismaijer and Singer that showed a link between bras and breast cancer, because it inhibits the flow of the lymphatic system.⁴ Women who wear a bra for 24 hours/day were 125 times more likely to have breast cancer than those who are bra-less.⁴ Those women who do not wear a bra have the same risk as men for developing breast cancer.⁴ Here’s a summary of their findings:

3 of 4 women (75%) that wore their bras 24 hours/day developed breast cancer⁴

1 of 7 women (14.3%) that wore their bras more than 12 hours/day (but not to bed) developed breast cancer⁴

1 of 152 women (0.7%) that wore their bras less than 12 hours/day developed breast cancer⁴

1 of 168 women (0.6%) that rarely or never wore a bra developed breast cancer⁴

Thoughts against this study:

Lacked control on epidemiological data for the correlation⁴

Lacked proof that lymph contains carcinogen and that carcinogen can cause cancer⁴

There is an existence of correlations between obesity and post-menopausal breast cancer. The study did not look at pregnancies, age, obesity (where women who have smaller breasts tend to go bra-less more often), diet, or medications (such as hormone replacement therapy).⁴

Claims by the medical and scientific communities—the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the National Institute of Health—have stated that there are no solid correlations between bras and breast cancers.⁴

Examples:

National Institute of Health: “Breast implants, using antiperspirants, and wearing underwire bras do not raise your risk for breast cancer. There is no evidence of a direct link between breast cancer and pesticides”¹

Budden (2012): “But rest assured, there is no evidence that wearing bras-with or without underwires, during the day or night-increases your risk of breast cancer.”²

So, what do you think? Should women be concerned with bras and breast cancer?

For more information on breast cancer and support visit: http://www.breastcancer.org/

Tool to find out your risk: www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool

(You must be 35 years old or older for the calculation to work)

 

¹Breast cancer. (2011). National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000913.htm 
²Budden, L. (2012). Monday’s medical myth: Wearing a bra to bed increases your risk of breast cancer. The Conversation, 2012 (23 July). Retrieved from http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/499/1/Monday's_medical_myth__wearing_a_bra_to_bed_increases_your_risk_of_breast_cancer.pdf 
³Fact Sheet: Reproductive history and breast cancer risk. (2011). National Cancer Institute.  Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/reproductive-history 
⁴Grismaijer, S., & Singer, S. R. (1995). Dressed to kill.  ISCD Press. ISBN 0895296640. Retrieved from http://pomegranatebreastoil.com/pdf/Dressed_to_Kill.pdf

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