History of Breast Cancer and Bras
Breast cancer is an ancient disease, and in the days before X-rays, appropriate surgeries, and other modern treatments was both well known and fatal.
Bras are a fairly recent invention. Luman L Chapman added cups to the corset in 1863, and Marie Tucek was given a patent in 1893 for a garment called a breast supporter.
Finally, in 1913, Mary Phelps Jacob put two silk hankies together with some pink ribbon, forming a modest and less restraining version of the bra. If you take the long view of human history, breast cancer beats bras for longevity.
Researchers are looking for more basic causes than the advent of bras to explain the increase in cases of breast cancer.
Persistent Myth Rooted in Control
Dr. Susan Love, in her Breast Book, says that we listen to the "bras cause breast cancer" myth because we want to blame something external that we can control. A diagnosis of cancer brings on feelings of frustration, fear, and a sense that our body has betrayed us.
Cancer starts inside our own cells, as a result of processes that science still can't explain. Love says, "You find people less wanting to think about birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy and fertility drugs," she says, "and more about pesticides, bras and deodorant." We want control over life and health - cancer breaks that illusion.
Possible Side Effects Of Wearing Bras
Women have had problems while wearing bras. Breast pain, skin irritation, or even contact with an exposed underwire can cause discomfort. Speaking of those wires - some women are allergic to the metal and may develop a rash when a wire gets out of bounds.
If your breasts are fibrocystic, or if your breasts are growing due to pregnancy, bras can certainly become uncomfortable. Very full breasts may cause back pain, muscle tension, or even headaches. Have a professional bra fitting, or find your proper bra size to avoid bothersome bras.
Breast cancer is an ancient disease, and in the days before X-rays, appropriate surgeries, and other modern treatments was both well known and fatal.
Bras are a fairly recent invention. Luman L Chapman added cups to the corset in 1863, and Marie Tucek was given a patent in 1893 for a garment called a breast supporter.
Finally, in 1913, Mary Phelps Jacob put two silk hankies together with some pink ribbon, forming a modest and less restraining version of the bra. If you take the long view of human history, breast cancer beats bras for longevity.
Researchers are looking for more basic causes than the advent of bras to explain the increase in cases of breast cancer.
Persistent Myth Rooted in Control
Dr. Susan Love, in her Breast Book, says that we listen to the "bras cause breast cancer" myth because we want to blame something external that we can control. A diagnosis of cancer brings on feelings of frustration, fear, and a sense that our body has betrayed us.
Cancer starts inside our own cells, as a result of processes that science still can't explain. Love says, "You find people less wanting to think about birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy and fertility drugs," she says, "and more about pesticides, bras and deodorant." We want control over life and health - cancer breaks that illusion.
Possible Side Effects Of Wearing Bras
Women have had problems while wearing bras. Breast pain, skin irritation, or even contact with an exposed underwire can cause discomfort. Speaking of those wires - some women are allergic to the metal and may develop a rash when a wire gets out of bounds.
If your breasts are fibrocystic, or if your breasts are growing due to pregnancy, bras can certainly become uncomfortable. Very full breasts may cause back pain, muscle tension, or even headaches. Have a professional bra fitting, or find your proper bra size to avoid bothersome bras.
Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast.
There are two main types of breast cancer:
Breast cancer may be invasive or noninvasive.
Invasive means it has spread from the milk duct or lobule to other tissues in the breast.
Noninvasive means it has not yet invaded other breast tissue. Noninvasive breast cancer is called
"in situ."
Some women have what is called HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2 refers to a gene that helps cells grow, divide, and repair themselves. When cells have too many copies of this gene, they grow faster. Historically, women with HER2-positive breast cancer have a more aggressive disease and a higher risk that the disease will return than women who do not have this type. However, this may be changing with specifically targeted treatments against HER2.
Risk factors you cannot change include:
Symptoms of advanced breast cancer may include:
If your doctor learns that you do have breast cancer, more tests will be done to see if the cancer has spread. This is called staging. Staging helps guide future treatment and follow-up and gives you some idea of what to expect in the future.
Breast cancer stages range from 0 to IV. The higher the staging number, the more advanced the cancer.
Cancer treatment may be local or systemic.
Women who have had a mastectomy may have reconstructive breast surgery, either at the same time as the mastectomy or later.
How well you do after being treated for breast cancer depends on many things. The more advanced your cancer, the poorer the outcome. Other factors used to determine the risk for recurrence and the likelihood of successful treatment include:
Lymphedema may start 6 to 8 weeks after surgery or after radiation treatment for cancer.
It can also start very slowly after your cancer treatment is over. You may not notice symptoms until 18 to 24 months after treatment. Sometimes it can take years to develop.
Ask your doctor about the side effects you may have during treatment.
Women at very high risk for breast cancer may consider preventive (prophylactic) mastectomy. This is the surgical removal of the breasts before breast cancer is ever diagnosed. Possible candidates include:
Many risk factors, such as your genes and family history, cannot be controlled. However, eating a healthy diet and making a few lifestyle changes may reduce your overall chance of getting cancer.
There is still little agreement about whether lifestyle changes can prevent breast cancer. The best advice is to eat a well-balanced diet and avoid focusing on one "cancer-fighting" food. These are some protocol assistant to follow:
There are two main types of breast cancer:
- Ductal carcinoma starts in the tubes (ducts) that move milk from the breast to the nipple. Most breast cancers are of this type.
- Lobular carcinoma starts in the parts of the breast, called lobules, that produce milk.
Breast cancer may be invasive or noninvasive.
Invasive means it has spread from the milk duct or lobule to other tissues in the breast.
Noninvasive means it has not yet invaded other breast tissue. Noninvasive breast cancer is called
"in situ."
- Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or intraductal carcinoma, is breast cancer in the lining of the milk ducts that has not yet invaded nearby tissues. It may progress to invasive cancer if untreated.
- Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is a marker for an increased risk of invasive cancer in the same or both breasts.
Some women have what is called HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2 refers to a gene that helps cells grow, divide, and repair themselves. When cells have too many copies of this gene, they grow faster. Historically, women with HER2-positive breast cancer have a more aggressive disease and a higher risk that the disease will return than women who do not have this type. However, this may be changing with specifically targeted treatments against HER2.
Causes and risk factors
Over the course of a lifetime, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.Risk factors you cannot change include:
- Age and gender -- The risk of developing breast cancer increases as you grow older. Most advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50. Women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men.
- Family history of breast cancer -- You may also have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have a close relative who has had breast, uterine, ovarian, or colon cancer. About 20 - 30% of women with breast cancer have a family history of the disease.
- Genes -- Some people have genes that make them more likely to develop breast cancer. The most common gene defects are found in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. These genes normally produce proteins that protect you from cancer. If a parent passes you a defective gene, you have an increased risk for breast cancer. Women with one of these defects have up to an 80% chance of getting breast cancer sometime during their life.
- Menstrual cycle -- Women who got their periods early (before age 12) or went through menopause late (after age 55) have an increased risk for breast cancer.
- Alcohol use -- Drinking more than 1 - 2 glasses of alcohol a day may increase your risk for breast cancer.
- Childbirth -- Women who have never had children or who had them only after age 30 have an increased risk for breast cancer. Being pregnant more than once or becoming pregnant at an early age reduces your risk of breast cancer.
- DES -- Women who took diethylstilbestrol (DES) to prevent miscarriage may have an increased risk of breast cancer after age 40.
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) -- There is higher risk of breast cancer if you have received hormone replacement therapy with estrogen for several years or more.
Obesity -- Obesity has been linked to breast cancer, although this link is controversial. The theory is that obese women produce more estrogen, which can fuel the development of breast cancer. - Radiation -- If you received radiation therapy as a child or young adult to treat cancer of the chest area, you have a much higher risk for developing breast cancer. The younger you started such radiation and the higher the dose, the higher your risk -- especially if the radiation was given during breast development.
Symptoms
Early breast cancer usually does not cause symptoms. This is why regular breast exams are important. As the cancer grows, symptoms may include:- Breast lump or lump in the armpit that is hard, has uneven edges, and usually does not hurt
- Change in the size, shape, or feel of the breast or nipple -- for example, you may have redness, dimpling, or puckering that looks like the skin of an orange
- Fluid coming from the nipple -- may be bloody, clear to yellow, green, and look like pulse
Symptoms of advanced breast cancer may include:
- Bone pain
- Breast pain or discomfort
- Skin ulcers
- Swelling of one arm (next to the breast with cancer)
- Weight loss
Signs and tests
The doctor will ask you about the symptoms and risk factors. Then the doctor will perform a physical exam, which includes both breasts, armpits, and the neck and chest area.If your doctor learns that you do have breast cancer, more tests will be done to see if the cancer has spread. This is called staging. Staging helps guide future treatment and follow-up and gives you some idea of what to expect in the future.
Breast cancer stages range from 0 to IV. The higher the staging number, the more advanced the cancer.
Treatment
Treatment is based on many factors, including:- Type and stage of the cancer
- Whether the cancer is sensitive to certain hormones
- Whether the cancer overproduces a gene.
- Chemotherapy medicines to kill cancer cells
- Radiation therapy to destroy cancerous tissue
- Surgery to remove cancerous tissue -- a lumpectomy removes the breast lump; mastectomy removes all or part of the breast and possible nearby structures.
- An example of hormonal therapy is the drug tamoxifen. This drug blocks the effects of estrogen, which can help breast cancer cells survive and grow. Most women with estrogen-sensitive breast cancer benefit from this drug.
- Another class of hormonal therapy medicines called aromatase inhibitors, such as exemestane (Aromasin), have been shown to work just as well or even better than tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors block estrogen from being made.
Cancer treatment may be local or systemic.
- Local treatments involve only the area of disease. Radiation and surgery are forms of local treatment.
- Systemic treatments affect the entire body. Chemotherapy is a type of systemic treatment.
- Stage 0 and DCIS -- Lumpectomy plus radiation or mastectomy is the standard treatment. There is some controversy on how best to treat DCIS.
- Stage I and II -- Lumpectomy plus radiation or mastectomy with some sort of lymph node removal is the standard treatment. Hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and biologic therapy may also be recommended following surgery.
- Stage III -- Treatment involves surgery, possibly followed by chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and biologic therapy.
- Stage IV -- Treatment may involve surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or a combination of these treatments.
Women who have had a mastectomy may have reconstructive breast surgery, either at the same time as the mastectomy or later.
Expectations (prognosis)
Even with treatment, breast cancer can spread to other parts of the body. Sometimes, cancer returns even after the entire tumor is removed and nearby lymph nodes are found to be cancer-free.How well you do after being treated for breast cancer depends on many things. The more advanced your cancer, the poorer the outcome. Other factors used to determine the risk for recurrence and the likelihood of successful treatment include:
- Location of the tumor and how far it has spread
- Whether the tumor is hormone receptor-positive or -negative
- Tumor markers, such as HER2
- Gene expression
- Tumor size and shape
- Rate of cell division or how quickly the tumor is growing.
Does Wearing a Bra Cause Breast Cancer?
I know it seems odd, but i guess wearing a bra can cause breast cancer, and that underwear bras are the worst culprits. Some folks worry that wearing a bra all day compresses the lymphatic system of the breast, resulting in accumulation of toxins that cause breast cancer.
Bras may lift and separate, smooth out or point out the way, provide support or inspire fantasies. Bras also have inspired rumors - including the idea that bras cause breast cancer.
Women who normally wear a bra for 12 or more hours a day develop breast cancer at higher risks than women who never wear bras.
The toxic bras may be tight fitting, fit badly, or have underwires. As a result of this routine restriction, the breast's lymph system is blocked, causing the accumulation of toxins inside the breast - which causes breast cancer. The myth goes on to propose that breasts which swing free of a bra actually massage the mammary lymph system and constantly cleanse themselves of carcinogens.
The breast's lymph system does not drain into the main part of the breast. Instead, as anyone who has had a sentinel node biopsy can tell you, the lymph system drains out of the breast into your underarm lymph nodes. Bras - even compression bras - can't prevent the circulation of blood and lymph from your breast. Breast cancer occurs when mutated genes cause cells to grow like wildfire, and we don't know what causes those genetic mutations.
Complications
You may experience side effects or complications from cancer treatment. For example, radiation therapy may cause temporary swelling of the breast (lymphedema), and aches and pains around the area.Lymphedema may start 6 to 8 weeks after surgery or after radiation treatment for cancer.
It can also start very slowly after your cancer treatment is over. You may not notice symptoms until 18 to 24 months after treatment. Sometimes it can take years to develop.
Ask your doctor about the side effects you may have during treatment.
Contact your health care provider for an appointment if:
- You have a breast or armpit lump
- You have nipple discharge
- Nipple discharge
- Rash on the breast
- New lumps in the breast
- Swelling in the area
- Pain, especially chest pain, abdominal pain, or bone pain
Prevention
Tamoxifen is approved for breast cancer prevention in women aged 35 and older who are at high risk.Women at very high risk for breast cancer may consider preventive (prophylactic) mastectomy. This is the surgical removal of the breasts before breast cancer is ever diagnosed. Possible candidates include:
- Women who have already had one breast removed due to cancer
- Women with a strong family history of breast cancer
- Women with genes or genetic mutations that raise their risk of breast cancer.
Many risk factors, such as your genes and family history, cannot be controlled. However, eating a healthy diet and making a few lifestyle changes may reduce your overall chance of getting cancer.
There is still little agreement about whether lifestyle changes can prevent breast cancer. The best advice is to eat a well-balanced diet and avoid focusing on one "cancer-fighting" food. These are some protocol assistant to follow:
- Choose foods and portion sizes that promote a healthy weight
- Choose whole grains instead of refined grain products
- Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day
- Limit processed and red meat in the diet
- Limit alcohol consumption to one drink per day (women who are at high risk for breast cancer should consider not drinking alcohol at all)
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