16 Common Myths About Breast Cancer

One in seven women will develop breast cancer in her life. But how much do most women really know about this disease?

Breast cancer specialists from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center say that misconceptions often cause women more anxiety than necessary. And in some cases the fear paralyzes women and prevents them from seeking the care that could lead to successful treatment.

Here, experts debunk some of the most common myths about breast cancer:

1. You only get breast cancer if you have a family history. I don't have a family history, so I don't need to worry about it.
Eighty percent to eighty-five percent of women with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. Even if no one in your family has ever been diagnosed, that's no excuse to skip your yearly mammogram. "It's important all women over 40 years old be screened for breast cancer," says Mark Helvie, M.D., U-M's director of breast imaging.

2. I'm too young to worry about breast cancer.
Breast cancer can affect women of any age. The disease is more common in post-menopausal women, but 25 percent of women with breast cancer are younger than 50. Younger women should have a yearly breast exam by their doctor and begin mammographic screening at age 40. While a breast mass in a younger woman is much less likely to be cancer than a lump in an older woman, it still needs to be checked out. At the same time, you're never too old to get breast cancer. If you feel a lump - at any age - have it checked out.

3. If I'm diagnosed with breast cancer, it means I'm going to die.
Doctors are doing quite well at treating breast cancer, with 10-year survival rates currently at 85 percent to 90 percent. When caught early, up to 98 percent of women survive at least five years. Breast cancer that has metastasized, or spread to other parts of the body, poses the greatest challenge, although women with metastatic breast cancer often live for years with their disease.

4. I've made it five years as a survivor, so my breast cancer won't return.
Breast cancer can recur at any time, although it is more likely to happen within the first five to 10 years: 75 percent of women who will get a recurrence see it within six years, and 25 percent recur in the 10 years after that. New hormonal therapies, including tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, may be delaying recurrence, so that the cancer is more likely to return after the woman stops taking those drugs.

5. Chemotherapy will make me nauseated and I will be vomiting all the time.
Chemotherapy does cause nausea and vomiting. But in the last 10 years, new drugs have become available that can almost completely control nausea, and very few people have persistent nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy.

6. If I have a breast lump, it's cancer.
Most breast lumps felt are not cancer. They could by cysts or a benign condition called fibrocystic changes or fibroadenoma. Lumps could also be pre-cancerous conditions that will need some treatment. But don't let these facts lull you into complacency. All lumps should be checked thoroughly.