You Won’t Get Breast Cancer from Deodorant, A Kansas City Radiologist Says

Talking about breasts is a topic Breast Radiologist Dr. Amy Patel is always spending a lot of time discussing an unending quest to dismiss the myths most women perceive about breast cancer.

Patel, a medical director at Women's Imaging Liberty Hospital in Liberty, Missouri, recently defended a new Missouri law, requiring insurance firms to pay for more aggressive screening for younger female individuals at risk of breast cancer.

The radiologist said, "Unfortunately, there's so much inaccurate information out there in the social media." She added that as much as she is a huge supporter of social media, "there is just so much fake news," substitute facts about mammography, breast cancer, and breast health, in general.

Therefore, she continued, if she can get out there and attempt to debunk those myths, she's trying to take the opportunities when she can.

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Myths She Hears from Patients

Reports on the topic specifically indicate three myths Dr. Patel said she always hears from patients. One myth is that one cannot get breast cancer from using deodorant. Another is that the pain one gets from her breast does not mean she has cancer. Thirdly, is that a woman can get breast cancer even if there is no history of the illness in her family.

A woman who feels pain in her breasts, Patel explained, sometimes take it as an indication of cancer. However, she continued, "very little studies find a link between breast pain and cancer."

Usually, the radiologist elaborated, breast cancer, whether you're male or female, is painless. Usually, too, if one has breast cancer, she added, "It is a more pronounced, more advanced cancer" where one begins seeing, perhaps, changes in the skin "and redness of the breast."

Breast pain is usually linked to hormones, the expert said, specifically in premenopausal women, and not linked to breast cancer. Therefore, this is one of the myths she's been trying to debunk.

Use of Deodorant

According to Patel, many times, she has patients saying they make their own all-natural or no-chemical deodorant. And, to these patients, she always says, they should save their time and money as "there is no scientific evidence" showing that commercial deodorant indeed causes breast cancer.

In her speaking engagements, the radiologist even reveals she uses the brand "Secret," for her deodorant.

In her talks, she tells her audience that it is okay if they feel guilty that they have to buy their deodorant instead of making it "as it is really not going to help you" when it comes to carcinogens and the likes.

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Skipping Mammograms

There are times when women skip mammograms and decline biopsies; as they say, no one in their family has ever had breast cancer, and thus, they don't see and feel the need for such.

Therefore, Dr. Patel tries telling parents that actually, most women getting breast cancer have no history of the illness in the family so, it is really not essential to get that mammogram annually.

Current American Cancer Society guidelines indicate women who are at average risk of breast cancer need to start mammograms every year by age 45 from its previous age requirement of 40. This can transition to every other year, starting at age 55, should they desire.

The new law of Missouri, which Dr. Patel worked on and took effectivity in late August, is requiring insurance firms to shoulder screenings for women whose age ranges from 25 to 29 years if they are at high risk, and from age 30, screenings every six months.

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