| |
 Dr. Sidharth SahniSurgical OncologistIndraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi To increase awareness about the disease, October, every year, is referred as
Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Here are few common myths related to breast cancer:
-I won't get breast cancer
This is the biggest myth people have. It is not just limited to breast cancer.
People live in this bubble of denial that while bad things happen in this world,
there is no way it can happen to them. And when something happens, they are
unable to cope with the reality of the situation. Now, one doesn't need to live
in constant fear of diseases either, but constant vigilance is necessary to
catch diseases like breast cancer at an early stage when it is easier to treat
them.
-I don't have a family history
There are many factors which determine the development of breast cancer. Some of
them are known and there may be other factors which the medical community may
not even know. While genetics play an essential role in determining the
susceptibility of a person towards breast cancer, it is not the only deciding
factor. Environmental factors affect an individual to a large extent. Parabens
found in cosmetics are linked to breast cancer, revealed Dr Sidharth Sahni, Sr.
Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.
-Contradiction- Save my breast at any cost, the more I lose, the better
for me
There is this misconception related to this disease in which every patient
expects that they will lose a portion of their breast tissue. It may not be
necessarily true. Depending on the stage of the cancer, breast cancer can be
treated without surgery as well.
Dr Sidharth Sahni, Sr. Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Indraprastha Apollo
Hospitals, New Delhi informs, "There are women who implore us to save their
breast at all costs, while there are some women who urge us to take away more
tissue than necessary just to be on the safe side so that cancer doesn't come
back. It puts us in a precarious position because that is not how the surgical
treatment of breast cancer works."
-Wearing a bra can cause breast cancer
Studies are dime a dozen which may prove one thing and disprove other. With so
much scientific literature available there is readily some scientific claim to
back one or the other fact. But Dr Sidharth Sahni doesn't agree that wearing a
bra has any effect in the development of breast cancer.
"Bras provide mechanical support; they don't cause a physiological change in the
composition of the breast tissue."
-Alternative treatment for breast cancer
People are scared of breast cancer and they are equally scared of the treatment
of breast cancer which can comprise of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
These treatments have their own side-effects which make people look for
alternative medication to treat the disease.
Dr Sidharth Sahni says, "Unfortunately, there is no credible research on the
successful effects of alternative medicinal techniques like homeopathy on the
treatment of breast cancer. But people end up looking for alternative treatment
options when they are at, say, stage 1, at which stage it is easier to treat
breast cancer. But the chances of success decrease if the people come back at
stage 3. This unawareness can be fatal for them."
|
WHATSAPP
