October is a special month, a month designated to raise awareness of breast cancer. You will begin to notice a lot of pink being worn and displayed in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Many events are being planned to raise funds for the worthwhile research and treatment of this form of cancer. This Saturday in Picayune, community members will hold the fourth annual Puttin’ on the Pink event.
Next weekend a walk will be held in Poplarville.
With all that is known about this type of cancer, there are still some myths.
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, those myths vary from men being immune to breast cancer to the use of antiperspirants and deodorants being its cause.
To help debunk those myths we have compiled a short list of the myths, and the factual information that proves them inaccurate.
One myth alleges that all lumps found in a breast are cancerous. NBCF states that not all lumps are cancerous, actually only a small percentage are. But everyone, men included, should be mindful of changes in breast tissue. Both sexes should conduct self-exams regularly and report any unusual changes to their health care professional.
While less common, 2,190 men are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, and of those numbers 410 die.
The next myth states that women with a family history of breast cancer have a higher risk of also being diagnosed. However, statistics show that only about 10 percent of those diagnosed had a family history.
Lastly, another myth is that the use of underarm antiperspirants and deodorants causes breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute has no data that links the use of those products to breast cancer.
For more myths and other information about breast cancer visit http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/.