Antiperspirants can lead to breast cancer.
This is one of the most common false reports that the American Cancer Society (ACS) receives, and it dates back to at least 1997, ACS officials say. According to the myth, antiperspirants block sweat glands in the armpits (particularly in women who shave their underarms), preventing the purging of toxic compounds in the body. This widely circulated theory holds that the toxins collect in the underarm lymph nodes near the breasts and cause cancer to develop.
Scientists say there is no evidence for this claim. In 2002, a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found no data to suggest such a link. Two studies the following year were cited as indicating there might be more to it. One said that women who frequently shaved their underarms and used antiperspirants had breast cancer diagnosed at an earlier age. The second report found traces of parabens (compounds used in preserving cosmetics) in tumor samples taken from breast cancer patients. However, "This was a study that involved only 20 breast tumors," notes Eric Winer, MD, director of Dana-Farber's Breast Oncology Center. "The meaning of this is entirely unknown."
'My father [or mother, sister, brother] had cancer, and that's why I got it. My children will probably get it, too.'
Because cancer is so common, and there are so many types, almost anyone can point to cases occurring in a close or distant relative. It's also true that everyone is at risk and that risk increases with age. Remember, however, that 90—95 percent of cancers are sporadic — not inherited. The root of all cancer is damaged genes in cells, and in sporadic cancers that damage may be caused by environmental toxins, lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity or diet, or by a random error in the cell's genetic code.
An estimated 5—10 percent of cancers are inherited through a mutated gene that makes the person carrying it more susceptible. Such mutations have been identified in breast, colon, and some other forms of cancer. But even when a gene mutation sharply raises a person's risk, cancer isn't inevitable. In a family where one parent carries a mutant susceptibility gene, each child has a 50—50 chance of inheriting the gene; noncarriers are at normal risk of getting cancer.
Then there are familial cancers — those that cluster within families but haven't been linked to a particular gene mutation. In these groups, a combination of several genes and environmental factors may contribute to a modest increase in risk. Smoking is the most potent and preventable environmental risk factor for cancer.
For those seeking to know more about the subject, the Friends of Dana-Farber Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic provides information and counseling on determining an individual's chance of the disease.
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