Last week marks the fourth time I’ve gotten a email that starts this way:
“This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer she was on the Ellen Show and she said the exact same thing…”
The email goes on to explain that the poor breast cancer victim- a friend’s mother - drank from a bottle of water that had been left in a car. A doctor told the woman that the heat and plastic created chemicals that can lead to breast cancer.
This is an urban legend. Read the background at snopes.com But ladies who are concerned about breast cancer can develop important habits.
- Exam your breasts at least once a month.
- Get an annual mammogram once you hit 40.
These are practical steps you should take to guard against the most common cancer afflicting African American women. When compared to white women, African American women face a greater risk of dying from the disease.
“White women get breast cancer with greater frequency, but it’s more virulent with African Americans,” says Dr. Ramona Swaby, an oncologist at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
She says that African American women tend to get triple negative breast cancer that only responds to chemotherapy. This form of breast cancer is aggressive and tends to re-occur.
Does that mean plastic water bottles are completely safe when it comes to cancer? The jury is out.
There is a growing controversy over whether Bisphenol-A, a synthetic compound found in a lot of consumer products and in dental sealants, is tied to early puberty. In a preliminary report, the National Toxicology Program, which is a part of the National Institutes of Health, called for more research into the effects of the compound on children.
When it comes to breast cancer though, major risk factors are aging and heredity.
“By the time a person gets to 80, the incidence of breast cancer is 1 in 8,” Swaby says. “For 5 to 10 percent of folks, there is a hereditary component.”
So what is the best defense? A good offense that includes monthly self-examination and an annual mammogram. The five-step self-examination can be done in the shower. If money is preventing you, or someone you know, from getting a mammogram, go to this page at the website of the American Breast Cancer Foundation for information on financial assistance for all sorts of diagnostic tests.