Your greatest risk of developing breast cancer is having breasts. Period. We are all at risk and even if we eat well, exercise, maintain a healthy weight, don’t smoke or drink, get adequate rest/sleep, we are still at risk. Do monthly self-exams, never skip your wellness checks, and get your mammograms starting at age 40 or younger if you have a family history of breast cancer.
Men have 1% of the breast tissue women have, but that 1% can develop breast cancer. Men also need to perform monthly breast self-examinations. According to the American Cancer Society, 2,000 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. That is 1% of the cases that will be diagnosed. Of those cases, 440 men will die of breast cancer this year. Why? Because men and their doctors may initially dismiss a lump or breast soreness as a pulled muscle or a fat deposit because most of the time that’s exactly what it is. When it’s not, breast cancer can spread and worsen survival rates the longer it remains undetected. One in 833 men will develop breast cancer during his lifetime.
When I was having my mammogram because of the lump in my right breast, there was a sixteen-year-old boy waiting to have a mammogram. While I was having chemo, I met a 74-year-old man who was completing his final round of chemo for breast cancer. Breast cancer does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religion, race, ethnicity, or sexuality. That’s just one of the many lessons breast cancer taught me.
Injuries to the breast do not cause breast cancer, but fat necrosis from an injury can mimic the look of an irregular mass with jagged edges on imaging such as mammography that’s why a needle biopsy is so important. Montel Williams was diagnosed with breast cancer while serving in the military after visiting the doctor for a torn pectoral muscle. He underwent a double mastectomy and radiation only to learn later that he didn’t have cancer. His doctor had failed to do the proper testing. Don’t let anyone rush you to treatment without the proper tests. If something doesn’t seem right ask for a second opinion. During my cancer diagnosis, my breast surgeon scheduled my biopsy and CT scan too close together. This made staging my cancer difficult because my lymph nodes which tested negative for cancer in my biopsy were reacting to the biopsy during my scan. This mistake created the scenario where my radiation oncologist recommended radiation treatments my medical oncologist, reconstructive surgeon, and PCP felt were unnecessary. These radiation treatments left me with permanent scarring and the need for additional surgeries to my reconstructed breast.
Underwire bras don’t cause cancer, but doctors don’t recommend wearing them because the wire can irritate skin under the breast and cause sores that can become infected or cause an abscess.
The drugs used during IVF that mimic the activity of estrogen have not been shown to increase a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer.
A family history of breast cancer is only one indicator of your risk of developing breast cancer. If you have no family history of breast cancer it does not mean you are not at risk for developing breast cancer. As someone who had their concerns about getting breast cancer dismissed by many doctors because I had no family history of breast cancer this is a fact I can’t stress enough.
Only about 5-10% of breast cancers are caused by genetic mutations passed between family members. The majority of breast cancers are sporadic or have no hereditary cause. Women with a family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer, should be evaluated by a genetics counselor by the age of 30. These women need to begin having mammograms before the age of 40.
Doctors now believe there is no statistical evidence to support the idea that stress can cause breast cancer. It’s a controversial issue because many women who develop breast cancer are in stressful situations. It’s possible that stress can make you less likely to take care of yourself and less likely to seek preventative care measures such as having regular check-ups, getting mammograms, or doing monthly self-exams. Stress puts your body at risk for so many health issues it should never be ignored.
Smoking and obesity may increase your risk of getting breast cancer. Maintaining a healthy body weight, avoiding, or abstaining from alcohol, limiting sugar, not smoking, getting adequate exercise, eating a well-balanced diet, and getting adequate rest/sleep may help prevent breast cancer, but none of these positive lifestyle choices can guarantee you will not get breast cancer.
The first and most important lesson I learned from breast cancer is life does not come with a guarantee. You can be the best person – moral, empathetic, kind, strong, healthy, selfless, devout, and you can still get cancer. You can be a horrible human being and not get cancer. Cancer does not answer to karma. We can’t ignore it and expect it to go away, but we don’t have to give it more head space than it deserves.
My mantra during cancer treatment was, “I don’t want to be so afraid of dying that I forget to live.”
Be safe my friends. Learn from the experiences and the mistakes of others. One of the most common concerns of cancer patients is a feeling of helplessness and loss of control. A team of doctors is suddenly making decisions about your treatment options based on myriad tests and an established standard of care. Make sure they listen to you and make sure you listen to them. If something doesn’t seem right ask questions and get a second opinion. If they don’t answer your questions or are dismissive get new doctors.
What can you do?
1. Learn everything you can about your family history.
2. Be honest with your doctors about your lifestyle.
3. Don’t skip wellness check or health screenings.
4. Get off the couch and get moving.
5. Don’t use tobacco products.
6. Limit alcohol.
7. Eat a healthy diet.
8. Manage stress
9. Get adequate sleep.
10. Maintain a healthy weight.
If you do all these things, you might still get breast cancer, but you will be better able to withstand the rigors of treatment and your cancer will most probably be found at an early stage which gives you a better chance of survival. Know your body and what feels normal.
Sources for this article:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/medical-myths-15-breast-cancer-misconceptions