Tag: 6

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I’d dedicate a blog to this terrible disease that affects 1 in 8 women in North America, not to mention the impact it has on their families and those they love.

So here are some myths about breast cancer, and what the experts say about them…

Myth #1

A breast injury can cause breast cancer. Although a breast injury can sometimes cause changes in the breast tissue that might mimic the look of a cancer in a mammogram, it cannot cause cancer. But just to be sure, your doctor may want to do a needle biopsy, removing a small amount of breast tissue with a needle and syringe to examine in a lab, if an area looks different than usual due to a previous injury.

Myth #2

Underwire bras increase the risk of breast cancer. The wires do not cause cancer, but they can irritate the skin under the breasts, causing it to break down. Irritated skin is less resistant to bacteria and fungi which could cause an infection or abscess in the breast. Also non-wired bras are more comfy!!

Myth #3

IVF increases the risk of breast cancer. In vitro fertilization (IVF) involves the use of estrogen-like drugs to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. This led some experts to wonder whether the treatment could increase the risk of hormone-sensitive cancer cells developing, or at least speed the growth of any of this type of cancerous cells that might be forming. Although no studies have specifically been done to confirm this doesn’t happen, one trial compared the cancer risk of women who had had IVF with those who had not, and found no difference.

Myth #4

I won’t develop breast cancer because no-one in my family has had it. Most women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history—only 5-10% of breast cancers are caused by a genetic mutation that was inherited. In fact, many diagnosed women have no known risk factors at all. Obviously, we’re missing something… (perhaps an environmental connection?) More research into the causes, please!!

Myth #5

Stress can cause breast cancer. While too much stress can certainly affect our health, there is evidence to show there is no association between stress and breast cancer. On the other hand, breast cancer most certainly causes stress! We can all benefit from learning effective ways of dealing with the stresses of modern life…

Myth #6

A healthy lifestyle eliminates breast cancer risk. A healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of breast cancer, but it can’t eliminate it. Refer back to Myth #4… we need more research into the causes of breast cancer!

Myth #7

Breast cancer only occurs in older women. It is true that most cancers occur in older women. Age is a known risk factor—one we can’t do anything about. Screening mammograms are recommended only after age 50 in most countries, and after 40 in the US, as they are less accurate in younger women with more dense breast tissue. But about 5% of cancers are diagnosed in women under 40 years, typically in those with a strong family history of the cancer. It is recommended to watch for any unusual breast changes, like lumps, puckering of the skin or a nipple pulling inward (inverted nipple) and to see your doctor right away if any of these occur.

Myth #8

All breast lumps are cancerous. Actually, most new breast lumps are not cancer. A cyst (a pocket of liquid surrounded by a membrane) feels like a lump, and these are fairly common. However, always see your doctor right away for an evaluation if you notice a new lump or any other unusual breast change.

Myth #9

An abortion increases the risk of breast cancer. An abortion interrupts the normal hormone cycle of pregnancy (and pregnancy before age 30 is believed to reduce breast cancer risk), causing some to wonder whether it could increase the risk of a hormone dependent breast cancer. However, a large observational study in Denmark and several other smaller studies found no link between abortion and breast cancer.

Myth #10

Nipple piercings increase breast cancer risk. Piercings do not increase cancer risk, but they can lead to increased risk of infection, abscess, nerve damage, scars, cysts and difficulty breastfeeding (due to blocked ducts from scar tissue).

Myth #11

Sugar causes breast cancer. Refined sugar in excessive amounts is bad for our general health, but there is no evidence it directly causes breast cancer. I have read reports of research looking at very low sugar/high fat diets (an extreme form of the keto diet) to slow the growth of cancer cells in general, but the studies are not yet conclusive. Studies specifically looking at sugar and breast cancer have had “mixed and inconclusive” results, according to experts.

Myth #12

Men do not get breast cancer. Yes, they do! One in every 100 cases of breast cancer occurs in men. Men also should stay alert to any changes in the breast area, particularly as it can spread more quickly in males since they do not have as much breast tissue to contain it. As well, men are not screened for this cancer and tend to have less support when they are diagnosed with it.

Myth #13

Mammograms and biopsies can cause breast cancer to spread. The thinking here is that the squeezing and poking of a potential cancer could cause the cells to seed in another part of the breast. Some women also worry that the radiation of the mammogram could cause a cancer to begin. However, very low doses of radiation are used in current mammograms, and these are considered safe (although the operator, being there daily, needs to protective themselves from work-related exposure). No evidence has been found that these tests cause cancers to spread and they give valuable diagnostic and early-detection information that save many lives.

Myth #14

No lump means no cancer. Cancers that have formed “palpable” lumps (ones that can be felt with the fingers) have often been there, growing, for several years. The advantage of screening mammograms is that they can often detect a cancer before it is large enough to be palpable, greatly increasing the chance of a complete cure.

Myth #15

Anti-perspirants cause breast cancer. This myth started because many breast cancers occur in the upper outer area of the breast, the area closer to the armpit. However, very little if any of the ingredients in anti-perspirants are absorbed and there is no evidence that they would cause cancer if they were absorbed. At least one large well-conducted that compared breast cancer survivors with healthy women found no evidence of a problem with anti-perspirants or deodorants. The tiny grains of minerals left on the skin by antiperspirants do, however, show up on a mammogram, causing confusion for the radiologist interpreting the image. This is why they always insist that these products not be used on the day you are having a scan.

Myth #16

Carrying a phone in your bra can cause cancer. While most experts will say there is no evidence that cell phones cause any type of cancer, a few have reported case studies of unusual cancers that began in the same location where the woman carried her phone for several hours every day. Not proof of a cause, but one doctor was suspicious enough to publish a report after seeing several similar cases (which I linked to in my Sept 17th blog on environmental links to cancer). It might be a good idea to carry your phone in a purse or proper phone case, both to protect it and possibly also you! Cell phone manufacturers do recommend avoiding exposure of the phone to sweat, as the liquid could cause damage to the phone (as happened to my daughter, who no longer tucks hers into the waistband of her workout pants!)

So, there you go… less to worry about, right? I think the key in avoiding many diseases, including cancer, is to strive for as healthy a lifestyle as possible: eat well, exercise, limit alcohol to recommended amounts, and avoid exposure to nasty chemicals. And, since it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month, maybe make a little donation that might help researchers find the causes and cures for this disease that affects too many women…

References:

Medical Myths: 15 breast cancer misconceptions—Medical News Today

Antiperspirant Safety: Should You Sweat It?—WebMD

I used to give a presentation on breast cancer prevention some years ago, and I just realized I’ve never blogged about this subject. Though years have passed and, sadly, little has changed in information on environmental connections to cancer, much of what I learned is still not well known by the public.

I recall reading somewhere that breast and prostate cancers are suspected to have similar causes, both being hormone-related cancers, so this information will be of interest to the guys too. I’ve always thought it was better to prevent cancer than to have to treat it… and the strategies to prevent cancer may help to prevent a recurrence in someone unfortunate enough to have already been diagnosed with it.

The causes of cancer have eluded us for generations, despite the “war on cancer” announced so many years ago. This may be because the cause, as understood by many researchers is likely to be a combination of factors that add together. These likely include genetics (less than 10% of breast cancers), exposure to cancer-causing chemicals or “carcinogens” (sometimes causing problems years after exposure), a poorly functioning immune system (that does not repair cell damage efficiently enough) and perhaps diet and other lifestyle factors.

However, little research money appears to be allocated to finding the causes, with much more going to early detection and treatment. I guess you’d want this, if you had cancer, but wouldn’t we all rather not get it in the first place? Of course, with much research money being supplied by manufacturers, the fact that preventing disease doesn’t result in income could also be a factor in where research dollars are spent… It’s up to government to take the lead in prevention and environmental research.

And it’s up to us to push them to do it!

My story…

I’ve known too many friends and family members who’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, the incidence continues to increase, even as treatments become more targeted and successful. But, like much I blog about, I have personal reasons for taking a particular interest in this subject.

My story started back 25 or 30 years ago when, for some unknown reason, I started having problems with some “lady parts”—lumps in the breast (fortunately all non-cancerous), bad PAP tests that required cryosurgery. Like most people, I just assumed these things were random occurrences and never thought to search for a cause. No one asked about my lifestyle or medications, to check for a change that might have been connected to my problems.

Tupperware parties were popular then, and I had bought a wonderful set of plastic cups with the “sipper seal” that prevented many spilled milk days in our house. After my kids outgrew the kiddie cup stage, the idea hit me that they would make great coffee cups—ones that would fit into the tiny cupholders in my car. No more spilled coffee on my way to work!

Eventually my coffee started to taste more and more like plastic, as the hot beverage broke down components in the plastic cup. Finally, one day it tasted so bad I pulled over and dumped it out and stopped using the cups for my coffee. A few months afterward, all my health problems went away.

A support group event

I didn’t associate the health events with my plastic consumption until a friend who was a breast cancer survivor invited me to an event her support group was hosting, a year or so later. It would have been the late 1990s. They presented a documentary film created in 1997 called “Exposure: Environmental Connections to Breast Cancer”, hosted by Olivia Newton-John, also a breast cancer survivor.

The 55-minute film interviewed cancer researchers and clinicians, and the award-winning producer and director were there for a discussion afterward. My friend and I bought a VHS copy of the film and I started giving a presentation based on the documentary’s research to any groups of women who wanted to listen.

The information in the film is still relevant now, over 20 years later, and many of the strategies for avoiding known carcinogens still seem to be surprising to many. This is just another example of the lack of “knowledge translation” I talked about last week. I’ll post a link to the film in the references, so you can check it out yourself if you’d like.

Plastic and cancer

So, back to plastic. One of the researchers in the film talked about an experiment they were doing with breast cancer cells. They had placed the cells in a plastic test tube with no nutrients or hormones to help them grow. They should have been just lying there quietly but, instead, they were growing like crazy. Something in the plastic was feeding the cancer cells. It was a revelation to the researchers—the first realization that something in plastic was hormonally active.

Since then, plastics have been classified into safer or more harmful types. You may have noticed a number enclosed in a triangle of arrows on most plastic containers. This is a classification of the plasticers (chemicals that make plastic flexible) in the plastic into various types. Although safety recommendations vary slightly by source, most recommend 2, 4 and 5 as the safest, and 1, 3, 6 and 7 to be used in moderation and never reused. No plastics are recommended to be heated, including in the microwave, or used for hot food.

Here’s a chart from the David Suzuki Foundation:

So, you see, my plastic cup didn’t just make my coffee taste like plastic, it was delivering a hormonally active substance into my body daily, that was making me sick. The worst part is that these chemicals are fat-soluble… they dissolve in oils and fats and are stored in the fatty tissues of the body. Now, 25 years later, I expect they’re still hiding in my body. Losing weight could be expected to liberate these chemicals as my body converts to using up fat I’ve stored away over the years.

If you look closely at the packaging, you’ll notice that Styrofoam cups and plastic utensils are generally made of plastic #6, a plastic that should not be used with food. Of course, we can choose not to use these items, but why are they still being manufactured and sold? Our governments are often slow to create regulations that protect us!

As a hormone specialist pharmacist, I learned that the hormone, progesterone, “opposes” or balances the action of estrogen. It’s not a leap to expect that it would also counter the action of estrogen-like chemicals as well, although I’ve not seen studies that specifically looked at this—and I have to wonder why these studies haven’t been done. I still use a low dose of progesterone to try to prevent problems because of what I learned as a compounding pharmacist.

Cellphones

While searching for an online version of the Exposure video, I stumbled across case reports of breast cancer that appeared to be associated with storing a cellphone close to the breast. These cancers were unusual, occurring in young women, exactly beneath the area where they habitually carried their phone, sometimes with several different types of cancer occurring at once. These women had developed a habit of carrying their phone tucked into their bra for hours each day.

In the report, they pointed out that most cellphone manufacturers recommend holding your phone slightly away from the body (or using a Bluetooth headset), and not storing the phone close to the body, especially not against the skin. I think I’ll start carrying mine in the front pocket of my purse, farther away from my body, rather than in the back pocket so I can feel it vibrate (telling me I have a message or call). I’ll just turn up the volume instead! Microwave radiation drops quickly with distance… creating a small space or non-metal layer quickly makes a large difference in the strength of the radio waves.

However, it is noteworthy that these cases were in people who carried their phone in direct contact with the skin, in the same spot for many hours each day. Overall, cellphone use has not been demonstrated to increase risk of cancer significantly. (See Mayo Clinic reference below).

And more…

Of course, there are other environmental factors that are of concern that should be discussed–pesticides being one. Chemicals that are designed to kill pests could be expected to do us harm too, if we are exposed. How much is too much? Which (if any) are safer? A subject for a future blog, perhaps.

But I’d encourage you to watch the “Exposure” video (link below in the references) that delves into the subject… an hour well spent in my opinion (and I’ve watched it quite a few times!)

PS…

One thing that has changed since the documentary was made, is that mammograms use less radiation now, resulting in a safer test. The test is also less accurate when breast tissue is more dense, as it is in premenopausal women. Many jurisdictions (with the notable exception of the US) begin screening mammograms only at age 50 and perform them only every 2 to 3 years to minimize exposure and maximize benefit.

PPS…Faith restored

On the “good news” front, I just got an appointment for early next week to hopefully (finally!) find out what is causing my “falling through the cracks” symptoms. My faith in the Canadian healthcare system has been restored! Fingers crossed for a clear explanation of what’s going on and a plan to get things back to normal as quickly as possible…

References:

Women’s reproductive system as balanced estradiol and progesterone actions—A revolutionary, paradigm-shifting concept in women’s health—Science Direct

Exposure: Environmental Links to Breast Cancer (1997)—Culture Unplugged

Cellphones and Breast Cancer—Environmental Health Trust

Is there any link between cellphones and cancer?—Mayo Clinic

Photo credit: Ishan @seefromthesky on Unsplash