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Women.com presents

Amy Langer, Executive Director of NABCO
Myths about breast cancer

October 19, 1999

Amy Langer, executive director of the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO), is our guest today. Amy is here to help us dispel some of the myths about breast cancer and to help teach us what we need to know about good breast health.

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HomeArts: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but unfortunately, many women assume that breast cancer happens to other people and not to them. Other women have incorrect or incomplete information on breast cancer, which could also seriously jeopardize their health. With us is Amy Langer, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO). Amy is here to help us dispel some of the myths about breast cancer and to help teach us what we need to know about good breast health. Welcome, Amy!

Amy Langer: It's great to be back! One of the frustrating jobs of a breast cancer educator is meeting people who have information - but it's the wrong information. Somehow breast cancer is a subject of many myths. Some myths may have their basis in outdated information. Other myths may simply relate to word of mouth or one woman's very personal view of her disease. The problem with myths is that they effect behavior. For example, if you think you understand "family history ". If you believe that it means that you are not at risk for breast cancer unless you have a family member who has had the disease, then you have put yourself at risk since the real story is that family history can begin with you. Everyone is at risk for breast cancer, women and men too - we don't talk about this much - but there are about 1,000 cases each year of male breast cancer. I'd love to know if any of our listeners have encountered a belief about breast cancer that they suspect is not true. One thing I can tell you is it's not your mother's disease - that is, these days it's most frequently a disease that women can survive reasonably intact, retaining their breast in many cases, thanks to early detection and moderate treatment. Any questions?

SusanF: Do women who take the pill have a greater incidence of breast cancer than those that don't?

Amy Langer: This is a complicated area. Just like the related area of hormone therapy after menopause. There is no question that many breast cancers are fueled by increased estrogen, and adding outside estrogen sources, including the pill, could stimulate the disease under some circumstances. Yet, studies that have examined the link between the pill and subsequent breast cancer diagnosis are inconclusive. One good piece of news is that a large study underway looking at many aspects of women's health should be able to give us the answer in the next couple of years.

Cassandra: Is breast cancer the most common cancer for women?

Amy Langer: Yes, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer. When you hear cancer statistics, such as lung cancer or breast cancer, they usually exclude skin cancer as well as the non-invasive, pre-malignant forms of several other cancers, including breast. If you add the number of pre-invasive breast cancers diagnosed each year, (known as "insitu" cancer) the currently huge 175,000 U.S. female cases would rise to over 200,000 per year.

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