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Breast Cancer
Get the Facts
By Lisa Hurt Kozarovich
True or false: Smoking is linked to breast cancer. Breast pain is not a sign of breast cancer. One out of nine women will get breast cancer.
If you think you know the answers to those questions, you might be surprised.
Misleading statistics and statements often confuse the public and lead others – like the media and advocacy groups – to unintentionally disseminate misinformation, says Dr. Eric Winer, physician and director of breast oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass.
Misinformation not only frightens women unnecessarily, but also can affect their diagnosis and treatment decisions, he says. "The one in eight figure about a woman's chance of developing breast cancer is often misunderstood," Dr. Winer says. "That number is a lifetime risk. On the other hand, a woman born today has less than a 2 percent chance of developing breast cancer before the age of 50. Almost half of all cases of breast cancer occur in women over 65. Of course, certain risk factors, such as a family history, may increase the risk to a modest extent."
Figures like that aren't broken down into ethnicity, age and other risk factors that determine a woman's risk either, he says. However, he does urge women to be conscientious about breast health.
"Breast cancer is the leading cancer death in women under 60," Dr. Winer says.
Age is another misunderstood factor in calculating a woman's risk, doctors say. "No one is too old to have breast cancer," Dr. Winer says. "It's very uncommon in women under 30, and it's almost unheard of in women under 25, but it can occur."