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Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
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- Cancer Information
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
- Breast Cancer Risk Factors You Cannot Change
- Lifestyle-related Breast Cancer Risk Factors
- Factors with Unclear Effects on Breast Cancer Risk
- Disproven or Controversial Breast Cancer Risk Factors
- Can I Lower My Risk of Breast Cancer?
- Genetic Counseling and Testing for Breast Cancer Risk
- Deciding Whether to Use Medicine to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
- Tamoxifen and Raloxifene for Lowering Breast Cancer Risk
- Aromatase Inhibitors for Lowering Breast Cancer Risk
- Preventive Surgery to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
- American Cancer Society Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer
- Mammogram Basics
- Tips for Getting a Mammogram
- What Does the Doctor Look for on a Mammogram?
- Getting Called Back After a Mammogram
- Understanding Your Mammogram Report
- Breast Density and Your Mammogram Report
- Limitations of Mammograms
- Mammograms After Breast Cancer Surgery
- Mammograms for Women with Breast Implants
- Breast Ultrasound
- Breast MRI
- Newer and Experimental Breast Imaging Tests
- Breast Cancer Signs and Symptoms
- Finding Breast Cancer During Pregnancy
- Breast Cancer Grades
- Breast Cancer Ploidy and Cell Proliferation
- Breast Cancer Hormone Receptor Status
- Breast Cancer HER2 Status
- Breast Cancer Gene Expression Tests
- Other Breast Cancer Gene, Protein, and Blood Tests
- Imaging Tests to Find Out if Breast Cancer Has Spread
- Breast Cancer Stages
- Breast Cancer Survival Rates
- Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Breast Cancer
- If You Have Breast Cancer
- Breast Cancer Videos
- Breast Cancer Quiz
- Frequently Asked Questions About the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Screening Guideline
Disproven or Controversial Breast Cancer Risk Factors
There are some factors that research has shown are not linked to breast cancer. You may see information online or hear about these disproven or controversial risk factors, but it's important to learn the facts.
For information on known and possible breast cancer risk factors, see:
Antiperspirants
Online and social media rumors have suggested that chemicals in underarm antiperspirants are absorbed through the skin, interfere with lymph circulation, and cause toxins to build up in the breast, eventually leading to breast cancer.
Based on the available evidence (including what we know about how the body works), there is little if any reason to believe that antiperspirants increase the risk of breast cancer. For more information, see Antiperspirants and Breast Cancer Risk.
Bras
Online and social media rumors and at least one book have suggested that bras cause breast cancer by obstructing lymph flow. There is no scientific or clinical basis for this claim, and a 2014 study of more than 1,500 women found no association between wearing a bra and breast cancer risk.
Induced abortion
Several studies have provided very strong data that neither induced abortions nor spontaneous abortions (miscarriages) have an overall effect on the risk of breast cancer. For more detailed information, see Abortion and Breast Cancer Risk.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2019-2020. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society; 2019.
Chen L, Malone KE, Li CI. Bra wearing not associated with breast cancer risk: A population-based case–control study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2014;23(10):2181-2185.
Chlebowski RT. Factors that modify breast cancer risk in women. UpToDate. 2021. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/factors-that-modify-breast-cancer-risk-in-women on August 30, 2021.
Last Revised: December 16, 2021
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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