Dr Tariq Jagnarine
Family Medicine, Endocrinology/Diabetes
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Guyana. Most women diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50, but younger women can also get breast cancer. About 1 in 8 women is diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.
There’s a good chance of recovery if it’s detected at an early stage. For this reason, it’s vital that women check their breasts regularly for any changes, and always have any changes examined by a health-care worker. In rare cases, men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer.
Common Misconceptions:
1. Having an abortion
increases the risk of breast cancer
Breast cancer risk is directly related to estrogen exposure, and abortion interrupts the normal hormonal cycle of pregnancy. While performing a randomised, controlled trial to address this question is impossible, a very large observational study done in Denmark, in which 1.5 million women were involved, found no link between abortion and breast cancer. Aside from that analysis, there have been several other large-scale studies that came to the same conclusion.
2. Carrying a phone in your bra can cause cancer.
There is no evidence to support the claim that cell phones cause cancer. However, no long-term studies have been done, although such a study may be possible in the future. For now, let’s just put our phones in our pockets or bags.
3. Nipple piercings increase the risk of breast cancer
This is a myth; nipple piercings do not increase breast cancer risk. However, they can lead to complications such as infection, abscess, difficulty breastfeeding due to blocked ducts from scar tissue, nerve damage, keloids, cysts, and more rare but serious illness from HIV and Hepatitis B and C. For these reasons, it is recommended that nipples not be pierced. If the deed is done, the recommendation is to remove it.
4. Sugar causes breast cancer
Sugar should be avoided in general. It is addictive, can cause mood swings, and leads to spikes in insulin, which puts the body in a pro-inflammatory state. This, in turn, can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic inflammatory diseases. Too much sugar can result in obesity, which is a risk factor for breast cancer. However, studies investigating links between sugar and breast cancer have been mixed and inconsistent.
While discussing sugar, it is worth busting a related myth: that sugar helps tumours grow. This myth arose because cancer cells divide rapidly, and therefore need a lot of energy. While there is no concrete evidence to support this claim, abstaining from added sugar as much as possible for overall well-being is paramount.
5. Men do not get breast cancer
Men have breasts; so, yes, they, too, get breast cancer. In fact, 1% of all breast cancer diagnosed are in men. While breast cancer is more common in women than in men, there are still men who get breast cancer. It’s important for men also to be aware of any changes in their breasts since there are no recommended screening guidelines for men. Any lump, pain, or changes should be brought to a doctor’s attention, even if they don’t have a strong family history of cancer.
Men are rarely diagnosed with breast cancer. The most common risk factor is a family history of breast cancer. The BRCA2 genetic mutation markedly increases the risk of breast cancer in males who carry this gene.
6. Mammograms cause breast cancer to spread
This is a common misconception. The thinking is that squeezing the cancer with compression during mammography, or performing a needle biopsy on the cancer, will cause the cancer to seed other parts of the breast. There is absolutely no evidence that mammograms cause breast cancer. The performance of a mammogram uses a very low dose of radiation and compression, and has no documented or theoretical relationship to causing breast cancer.
7. If there is no lump, there is no cancer
If that were true, then we would not need mammograms. Mammograms have been proven to save lives because they allow us to catch the cancer before it becomes palpable. In this context, “palpable” means that a person can feel the lump with their fingers.
If we diagnose and treat breast cancer while it is at stage 1, survival approaches 100%. Survival drops as the stage advances. In fact, the cancer may never be palpable and still spread to other parts of the body.
Many breast cancers are found on screening mammograms, and may not be felt. This is especially true for noninvasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ, which may show up only as calcifications on a screening mammogram.
Breast cancer is common, and while a healthy lifestyle might reduce the risk to a certain extent, vigilance is key. The earlier a doctor catches breast cancer, the higher the chances of surviving it.
