Breast Cancer
Among women, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer after nonmelanoma skin cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths after lung cancer.1 Although men can and do contract cancer of the breast, it accounts for only 0.2% of all malignancies in men compared to 26% in the female population.2 The National Cancer Institute reports that approximately one out of eight American women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime.3 The degree of risk increases with age: 30 to 40 year old females have a 1 in 257 likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer but, by the time they are in their 70s, that probability has increased tenfold.4 Most women contract cancer after the age of 50, and postmenopausal women taking the hormone estrogen, even in combination with progestin, have an increased risk of breast cancer.5 In 2001, an estimated 192,200 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and more than 40,200 women were lost to this disease.6 In addition to genetic factors that determine how cancer-prone a woman is, factors such as previous breast disease, reproductive and menstrual history, estrogen therapy, radiation exposure, diet, and alcohol intake increase risk.7 Folate intake can minimize the detrimental effects of alcohol for some women.8 And there appears to be no basis to rumors that underarm deodorants and antiperspirants cause breast cancer.9 Certain cooked meats, on the other hand, do pose a real risk due to the presence of heterocyclic amines -- carcinogenic chemicals that form when cooking meats such as beef, pork, fowl and fish.10 Additional studies, concluding that diet may affect the risk of developing breast cancer, recommend avoiding a high intake of well-done, fried, or barbecued meats.11 Although there is contradictory information about the impact of second hand smoke, avoiding exposure to it, as well as radiation (such as x-rays produce), is generally believed to decrease the likelihood of breast cancer.12 A link between breast cancer and airborne toxins/industrial waste has long been suspected, but there have not yet been enough studies to undeniably prove the connection. As sociologist Jane Zones writes, "Efforts to encourage research and advocacy into possible environmental causes, including corporate pollution, have met with stiff resistance and meager funding, not to mention potential conflict of interest."13 Yet, according to a 1989 study published in Archives of Environmental Health, breast cancer rates were higher in the 339 counties with hazardous waste sites and groundwater contamination than in counties that had no such sites.14
Actions, Information & Opportunities to Help There are many websites -- both comprehensive and single-issue -- dedicated to informing and analyzing issues related to breast cancer. Also listed below are resources that offer help, theoretical sociological works, cultural studies and multiple published news articles and campaign information pieces.
1 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) Cancer Statistics Review 1973-1997. National Cancer Institute (NCI).2Ibid.3Ibid.4Ibid.5Dr. Ronald Ross, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Journal of the National Cancer Institute: Vol. 92, No. 4, 328-332, February 16, 2000.6NCI (as cited above)7Ibid.8Mayo Clinic. "Folate Intake Counteracts Breast Cancer Risk Associated with Alcohol Consumption." Journal of Epidemiology, July 2001. 9NCI (as cited above)10Ibid. 11Ibid. 12Ibid. 13Zones, Jane. "Profits From Pain: The Political Economy of Breast Cancer." 14Lyman, Francesca. "The Breast Cancer Revolution." MSNBC report, October 2000.
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