Myth: A lump in your breast means you have breast cancer.
Fact: Over 80 percent of lumps are benign (not cancerous). Breast lumps are very common in pre-menopausal women and can come and go with the menstrual cycle. Any unusual or persistent breast lump should be evaluated by a physician.

Myth: Breast self-examination (BSE) is enough to detect breast cancer.
Fact: BSE is just one part of the three part early detection program. It should be followed along with annual breast exams performed by a doctor or nurse and regular mammograms for women over 40. Although many breast lumps are found by women themselves, this does not always happen during BSE. No study has shown that BSE alone increases breast cancer survival.

Myth: Mammograms have no benefit and are even harmful to women under 50.
Fact: More than 20 percent of breast cancers are diagnosed in women under 50 years old. For these women the opportunity to find their breast cancer early could mean less extensive surgery and treatment. International studies show a mortality benefit from screening women under 50 ranging from 17 to over 40 percent.

Myth: Mammography can spread breast cancer.
Fact: A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Neither the X-ray nor the required flattening of the breast can spread breast cancer.

Myth: Mammography can cure breast cancer.
Fact: A mammogram is an X-ray which can find breast cancer. It is not used for treatment.

Myth: Mammography is ineffective in dense breast tissue.
Fact: Dense breast tissue, which is more common in younger women, can make a mammogram more difficult to interpret, but interpretation by experts has confirmed that mammography can find breast cancer in any woman. In dense breasts, abnormalities can often be picked up that can be further evaluated with a sonogram.

Myth: One mammogram is enough to ensure you do not have breast cancer.
Fact: Abnormalities not visible on one year's mammogram might be visible on the next. You have a much better chance for survival if you detect breast cancer early -- before you have symptoms. In NABCO's view, annual screening mammography should begin by age 40 and continue at least into a woman's 70s.

Myth: Many biopsies are unnecessary, cause extensive scarring and can complicate later detection of breast cancer.
Fact: Biopsies are very common surgical procedures. A biopsy is currently the only way a doctor can tell for sure if a suspicious breast lump or area in the breast is cancer. Biopsies allow for the diagnosis of breast cancer at its earliest, most treatable stage. The small scarring of tissue that results can be easily distinguished from an abnormality on a mammogram and is barely noticeable to the eye.

Continue with part 2 of Myths and Facts about the detection of Breast Cancer.

© 1998, National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO). For more information call 888-80-NABCO or visit www.nabco.org on the Web.

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