That Ain’t True: Debunking Breast Cancer Myths

Find out what's real and what's not about this disease.

Don’t Believe the Hype - October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Do you know the biggest myths about breast cancer? Read about the truths and fallacies about this disease. By Kellee Terrell (Photo: Peathegee Inc/Blend Images/Corbis)

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Don’t Believe the Hype - October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Do you know the biggest myths about breast cancer? Read about the truths and fallacies about this disease. By Kellee Terrell (Photo: Peathegee Inc/Blend Images/Corbis)

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Don’t Believe the Hype

Photo By Photo: Peathegee Inc/Blend Images/Corbis

Myth 2: Only Older Women Need to Worry About Cancer - While age is a risk factor in who develops breast cancer, it isn’t the end all be all. Actually, Black women tend to develop the disease at a younger age than white women — as young as our early 30s in some cases. 

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Myth 2: Only Older Women Need to Worry About Cancer

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Myth 3: You Are Only at Risk if Breast Cancer Runs in the Family

The Perfect Fit - Wearing a good support bra not only keeps the girls in tip-top shape, it also complements your overall appearance. (Photo: Jack Hollingsworth/Blend Images/Corbis)

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Myth 5: But I Have Small Breasts. I Am Not at Risk

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Myth 6: Having an Abortion Raises Your Risk of Breast Cancer

Myth 7: Finding a Lump Means You Automatically Have Cancer - Here’s the tea: Most lumps are not cancer. Only a small percentage of women with lumps have malignant tumors. In most cases lumps can be cysts, noncancerous tumors or cystic tissue.  (Photo: Corbis)

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Myth 7: Finding a Lump Means You Automatically Have Cancer

Myth 8: Men Cannot Get Breast Cancer - Actor Richard Roundtree would tell you different. Men can get breast cancer and actually have higher death rates, because doctors don’t push them to get tested and, when they are diagnosed, they are tested late.  (Photo: Tracy Kahn/Corbis)

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Myth 8: Men Cannot Get Breast Cancer

Myth 9: Deodorant Causes Cancer - While this is a popular myth, it just isn’t true. There is no trusted data that has found a correlation between wearing deodorant and antiperspirants and breast cancer risk, confirms the National Cancer Institute.  (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Myth 9: Deodorant Causes Cancer