News

Breast cancer myths debunked

BY Melissa Cordial, Public Relations Representative

fort wayne, in (July 28, 2009) — You’ve heard them all before: 1) Wearing deodorant causes breast cancer; 2) With no family history, I don’t need to worry about it; 3) Breast feeding increases the chance of developing the disease … With so many myths flying around, women need straight answers.

Dr. Linda Malkas, Vera Bradley Chair in Oncology, sat down with us to answer all your breast cancer questions.

Melissa Schenkel: Am I too young to worry about breast cancer?
Dr. Linda Malkas: “No one is too young. There are two examples at our cancer center right now, where one girl is 17 years old and another is 19 year old. Both of these young women discovered their own lumps, and both went to physicians who said they were too young. After persistence, they are now getting treatment. Everyone must be vigilant and take responsibility for their own life.”

MS: There’s never been a case of breast cancer in my family so I don’t need to worry about it, right?
LM: “Ninety percent of women who get breast cancer have no family history. Only 10 percent have family ties.”

MS: I don’t have a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, does that mean I won’t develop breast cancer?
LM: “Be aware of what to look for. Decreased risk, but that doesn’t mean you have no risk.”

MS: Does breastfeeding increase the risk of contracting breast cancer?
LM: “No, there is no reliable data linking the two.”

MS: Does deodorant cause breast cancer?
LM: “No, I don’t believe there is research proving that there is correlation between deodorant and breast cancer.”