Research has revealed some women don’t know what is true when it comes to breast cancer, with some questioning if an underwired bra can increase your risk of developing the disease.
Every year around 60,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK – the equivalent of one person every 10 minutes.
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Support charity Breast Cancer Care has partnered with law firm Irwin Mitchell to bust the top six breast cancer myths.
Experts have sought to answer questions ranging from whether radiation from mammograms pose a risk, through to whether people have a higher risk of breast cancer if someone in The family has had the disease.
Lisa Jordan, partner and head of medical negligence at Irwin Mitchell, said: “We understand the importance of a prompt diagnosis, so it’s crucial to know the facts about breast cancer and how to check your breasts for signs and symptoms.”
Myth 1 – If a member of your family has breast cancer, you’re more likely to get it.
Revealed: Whilst some people with a family history of breast cancer are in a higher risk group, only around 5 per cent of breast cancers are due to having inherited a faulty gene.
Myth 2 – Most breast lumps are cancer.
Revealed: The vast majority of people referred with breast lumps do not have cancer.
They may be found to have cysts, or other benign (not cancer) conditions, but it’s important to flag up any lump or change in your breasts to your GP to be sure.
If a member of your family has breast cancer, you’re more likely to get it.
Symptoms other than a lump include nipple abnormalities, breast pain, skin abnormalities, ulceration, shape abnormalities and an infected or inflamed breast.
Myth 3 – Using antiperspirants or deodorants can cause breast cancer.
Revealed: There is currently no evidence to support this.
Myth 4 – Wearing an underwired bra doesn’t increase your risk of breast cancer.
Revealed: Claims that the underwire compresses the lymphatic system of the breast, where a network of vessels through which lymph drains from the tissues into the blood, are false.
Myth 5 – Men can’t get breast cancer.
Revealed: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK. However breast cancer can still be found in men. More than 340 males are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year.
Myth 6 – Having screening mammograms exposes people to so much radiation that they increase your chances of cancer.
Revealed: The associated risks are so tiny that the benefits from the test outweigh this. Abnormalities can be found before they can be felt or noticed which increases your chances of early detection which is crucial.
Cancer Research UK said more than 90 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer at the earliest stage survive their disease for at least five years compared to around 15 per cent for women diagnosed with the most advanced stage of disease.
New figures revealed by the ONS have also found 80.6 per cent of breast cancer sufferers should be alive ten years after a diagnosis.
Andy Harris, spokesman for Breast Cancer Care, said: “Although women often know to look out for a lump, many don’t know other breast cancer symptoms to be aware of, or that the main risk factors for developing the disease are being female and getting older.”
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