Fact deluge confuses many women over breast cancer risks

By KATHERINE HOBY

Much of the information New Zealand women possess about breast cancer - the cancer that kills more women than any other in this country each year - is outdated, inaccurate, or misleading, says the Cancer Society.

A spokeswoman for the society, Betsy Marshall, said much of the information available was incorrect and causing unnecessary concern.

A recent survey showed women had many mistaken perceptions about breast cancer, its causes, whom it affected, and how many women would get the disease.

As this month was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month the society wanted New Zealand women to arm themselves with knowledge about the problem.

She and colleagues were surprised by some of the findings of the survey, which canvassed 500 women between the ages of 30 and 70.

One of the major areas of misunderstanding was the incidence of breast cancer.

"Women widely overestimate the incidence of breast cancer, with over half believing that at least one in four women will get breast cancer.

"Of these, over a third estimated that up to one in two women will get the disease at some time in their lives," she said.

"We were aware that women tended to overestimate the incidence, but we are surprised at these figures."

Ten per cent of NZ women develop breast cancer.

The survey showed they have many incorrect ideas about the disease, including uncertainty about the age that it was most likely to strike at and an overestimation of family history as a risk factor.

"Half of the women surveyed thought that most women with breast cancer had a relative with the disease," she said.

"In fact, only about 5 per cent of breast cancers are familial.

"Actually, most women who develop breast cancer have no relatives with the disease."

The survey results showed many were not clear about the age when breast cancer was most likely, only 22 per cent correctly identifying the over 50 age group as being most at risk.

Ms Marshall said breast cancer was still a serious disease for young women and this meant some high-risk women were not as alert to the signs of breast cancer as they should be.

Breast cancer is uncommon in women under the age of 40, and a woman's chance of developing it increases as she gets older.

The society recommends that all women who notice breast changes should consult their doctor, regardless of the results of recent mammograms, as recent reports cast doubt on the value of breast cancer screening and self-examination.

Ms Marshall said many breast cancers were found by women themselves and women, particularly those over the age of 40, should regularly look and feel for breast changes.

She said "'breast awareness" and being aware of how breasts changed at different times of the month, and with age, was beneficial.

On further investigation, nine out of 10 breast lumps were found to be harmless.

Women between the ages of 50 and 64 have been encouraged to have regular mammograms by a recent advertising campaign.

A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast, which can be uncomfortable but is usually not painful.

It can pick up cancers when they are very small, and before the patient has felt anything.

If cancers are detected when they are less than 1cm in size, the patient has a 90 per cent chance of being alive 10 years later.

The campaign urged more women, particularly Maori and Pacific Islanders, to join the free programme.

BreastScreen Aotearoa has been carrying out checks for nearly two years and has detected 1184 cancers in that time.

But only 58 per cent of eligible women have had mammograms.

Mammography is not infallible, but it is still the best test available to find a cancer when it is very small. * For more information:

- BreastScreen Aotearoa, phone 0800-270-200.

- The Cancer Information Service, phone 0800-800-426

- The Breast Cancer Foundation, phone 0800-902-732

The Cancer Society

BreastScreen Aotearoa

NZ Breast Cancer Foundation

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