In wandering around the growing list of sites Going Pink and reading some of the other reactions on the web to this event, a couple of themes stand out. Particularly for this post, that spreading awareness is one thing; spreading accurate awareness is another.

Myth: A mammogram can cause breast cancer to spread.

Truth: An x-ray of the breast, called a mammogram, cannot cause cancer to spread. Nor can the pressure put on the breast from the mammogram. Do not let tales of other people’s experiences keep you from having a mammogram. Base your decision on your physician’s recommendation and be sure to discuss any questions or concerns with your doctor. ¹

I’ve read quite a few sites commenting that they never knew men could get breast cancer. That’s exactly why we have a men section on the site. Overall, I think there is plenty of awareness about breast cancer, but reading some sites and articles it’s clear that knowing breast cancer exists just isn’t enough.

Myth: Breast cancer is a communicable disease.

Truth: You cannot catch breast cancer or transfer it to someone else’s body. Breast cancer is the result of uncontrolled cell growth in your own body. ¹

I don’t expect everyone to be a doctor (though if anyone would like to be a nurse…) but it does surprise me how dumb the collective brain can be about issues related to health. Ninjas sure. But wouldn’t you want to know the relative risk of your health in your environment?

Survey respondents revealed that women want to make a personal statement against breast cancer, although many had misgivings about the effectiveness of their actions. Some 59% of respondents said they had purchased or worn a pink ribbon — yet only 36% believe that it is a very important activity in the fight against breast cancer. By contrast, 96% of the respondents felt that contributing to a breast cancer related charity was important (very or somewhat). In addition, 82% said it was important to contact an elected official about breast cancer legislation. ²

I don’t think it’s a myth that turning your web site pink will stop breast cancer. It’s also not a truth. Nothing but a shite load of money focused on research leading to a cure will do that.

Which is why this year we’ve tried to push the idea that Going Pink is only step one. We want each person that visits the site to walk away more knowledgeable and we hope you pass on that knowledge to someone else. Overall, we hope that knowledge gained will spur you into action: whatever action is appropriate for you to take.

The survey revealed that 76% of the respondents consider themselves knowledgeable about breast cancer. In addition 61% of the respondents reported having recently heard or read something about breast cancer. Despite these statistics, the survey shows that awareness is not translating into knowledge.

A majority of respondents (56%) believe that most breast cancers occur among women with a family history or a genetic predisposition to the disease. The reality is that over two thirds of women diagnosed have no known risk factor. Even though having an inherited mutation in certain genes is the most potent risk factor, the National Cancer Institute states: “these genes are rare in the general population and are estimated to account for no more than 5% to 10% of breast and ovarian cancer cases overall.” ²

In the end, statistics don’t mean shit til you become one. Then they don’t mean shit for a different reason. But if statistics help garner attention I suppose it’s good. You should just generally be cautious of percentage statistics.

56% of how many? If there were 2000 respondents I’d be a lot more happy than if there were 100. Be cautious, but be curious too. Find out what 56% really means. In this case, 56% is of 1004 women over the age of 18. Not too bad.

My mammogram was normal, so I don’t have to worry about breast cancer.

While mammography does catch the vast majority of breast cancers, it is only one screening tool. One in five breast lumps is invisible on a mammogram. Women should also have a breast exam done by their health care provider each year. If you feel a lump, always get it checked out, even if your last mammogram was clear. Also, it’s important to get a mammogram every year. “The power of screening comes with regular annual exams,” Helvie says. Doctors will look at previous years’ mammograms to assess changes in the breast over time. ³

“What if I can’t afford a mammogram?” Here’s a list of US programs (by state) on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site that provide free or low-cost mammograms and pap smears.

While I bet, statistically speaking (he said will all due irony) that not everyone can get or wants a mammogram, I think it’s a possibility to do regularly for many more people than currently do it. If you are not in the US, but know of a similar site link us up in the comments.

There are plenty more myths out there. Spend a bit of time reading through some of them and see which ones you believed in. And if you’d like to challenge some of the truths about breast cancer we want to hear that too.

I have a hidden agenda in all this: I want people to be healthier. It will cost me (and you) less in the long run if more people are healthy. And dammit, I want to be able to afford an Xbox someday. :)

Part of getting healthier is getting smarter about your body in its environment. Part of Pink for October is to help you do that, or at the very least to remind you to do that for yourself.

I’m dyeing my hair purple today. My son has been begging for purple for a while now, but I’ve been sticking with pink — until now. I don’t want to be associated in any way with that cute little disease, breast cancer. Or worse, that most feminine of all activities: shopping for breast cancer.

People, do you know what you’re shopping for? T-shirts and dog collars and candy and soup, all painted a pandering pink. I’ve actually heard people say, “I’m buying this because I want to support breast cancer.” You want to support cancer? Or the people fighting cancer? And who, exactly, are you supporting?

The day the Susan G. Komen foundation sends out a brochure with research that I can fund is the day I’ll shop for the cause.

In the meantime, instead of supporting some unknown organization, service, or research with some unspecified “portion of the proceeds”, I’m sending my money directly to the organizations that match my goals. I’m also lobbying Congress to fund research into the causes and pathologies of breast cancer with letters like these, the template for which can be found on the Breast Cancer Action website:

After more than 20 years of Breast Cancer Awareness Months, people in this country are still incredibly confused about some of the basic facts of breast cancer. A recent poll by the advocacy group Breast Cancer Action found that most Americans (74%) mistakenly think breast cancer that remains restricted to the breast can be fatal.

The reality is that only breast cancer that spreads to the vital organs is life threatening. But doctors don’t have the tools to tell a woman with certainty at the time of diagnosis whether or not her breast cancer will spread and become life-threatening.

For the sake of the 200,000 women who are diagnosed with this dreadful disease every year, it is time to prioritize research—and funding for research—that will enable doctors to answer a woman’s most basic questions upon diagnosis—“Will I die of this?” and “What should I do next?” As federal funding for cancer research is in danger of being cut, this is a perfect time to refocus and reprioritize. Only more focused research will allow doctors to predict the spread of breast cancer, whether it will become life threatening, and what the best course of treatment is for each woman.

We need to do more than just shop for breast cancer. More than just wave the pink flag, wear our pink t-shirt, point to our pink hat.

Funding mammograms isn’t going to end breast cancer. Feeling smug isn’t going to, either. Please, make this the year that you demand more research into the causes of breast cancer, not just into slash, burn, and poison treatments that treat all breast cancers the same because we can’t tell how they’re different. Spend your money on a stamp and write a letter to your senator.

Cancer isn’t pretty, and it sure as hell isn’t pink. Don’t let the “cause” marketing geniuses rope you in and shut you up. Show them you’re smart enough to pass by the pink and take charge of your own health. Your life may depend on it.

— Lori

I got an email recently from Whitney Keyes about a 3-part video on how to support a friend with breast cancer.

I am linking to part 2 because it’s more directly related to the title of this post, but the other two parts are worth watching. No worries to watch it out of order.

The video gives some good tips on ways to be supportive, but I’d love to hear how you’ve gone about giving a good friend support during their bout with cancer. And I am sure other people would too. There are plenty of hits on this site from search engines with keywords related to this topic.

The data are a little over a year old, however…

US women are getting mammograms to screen for breast cancer at declining rates, according to a study describing a trend that some health officials fear may reverse progress against the deadly disease.

The percentage of women 40 and older saying they had a mammogram within the past two years slipped from 70 percent in 2000 to 66 percent in 2005, according to the study appearing today in the journal Cancer.

Source

What’s your reason for not getting a mammogram? And that’s not an attitude-filled question, I’d actually like to know.

My wife just said (roughly) while looking over my should while typing this, “There ought to be an alternative to mammograms … they do sonograms to check babies in the womb, why can’t that work for breasts … mammograms hurt!”