Breast cancer is a disease that is diagnosed in about three million women each year. On social networks we detect numerous misinformation content that warns of false risks and raises doubts about scientifically proven treatments and detection methods against this disease. From the hoax that claims that wearing a bra for the first time without washing it causes breast cancer to the alarmist messages that advise against mammograms due to their radiation. On the occasion of World Breast Cancer Day, which is celebrated every October 19, at VerificaRTVE we explain to you with the help of four experts how These falsehoods can affect the early detection of cancer and its evolution putting women’s lives at risk.
Hoaxes that influence the prognosis of the disease
One of the most widespread beliefs is hoax that claims that mammograms cause breast cancer because of the radiation they emit. At VerificaRTVE we already explained to you that this statement does not have scientific evidence and that it is false that Switzerland has prohibited its realization for this reason. The president of the Spanish Society of Senology and Breast Pathology (SESPM), Antonio Piñero, assures that “Mammography is a safe technique“. He states that “with the doses and protocols that we currently have there is no danger that this examination will become harmful.” Josefina Cruz, medical oncologist at the Canary Islands University Hospital, states along the same lines: “The usual mammograms that we use do not They are dangerous because are justified to make the opposite use, to try to have an early diagnosis“. The scientific secretary of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), Rodrigo Sánchez-Bayona, also states that “the mammograms performed today They have very low radiation dose” and adds that “sometimes a special type of mammography called tomosynthesis is performed,” which uses reduced doses of X-rays. This oncologist points out that Another “frequent and dangerous” hoax is the one that states that “all breast cancers can be palpated“. Regarding this idea he clarifies: “Just because a woman does not detect nodules does not mean that there cannot be hidden cancer.”which is detected with screening mammography.
This type of hoax about mammograms puts at risk “the quality and quantity of life of patients” because it can imply a “delay in diagnosis,” says Dr. Piñero. The oncologist and member of the Spanish Breast Cancer Research Group (GEICAM), Josefina Cruz, maintains that the main danger is “not wanting to have a radiological test because they believe it is dangerous for them, when the benefit is much greater.” Rodrigo Sánchez-Bayona agrees with this idea: “Mammograms save lives because they detect tumors at a very early stage in which the treatment can still have a curative intention.
Interview with Josefina Cruz, medical oncologist at the Canary Islands University Hospital
Bras, vaccines and deodorants: false risks without scientific evidence
The experts consulted also warn of the spread of false risks that are presented as if they were the cause of breast cancer. one of these hoaxes link the use of bras with this disease. Specialists clarify that “there is no scientific evidence” that links certain types of bras, such as those with underwire, with the appearance of this condition. At VerificaRTVE we also deny that wearing this garment without washing it does not increase the risk of suffering from breast cancer.
Other Myth claims that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer of breast. However, this claim lacks evidence. At VerificaRTVE we explain to you that there are no studies or scientific evidence that show that these injections have negative effects on cancer patients or that they cause cancer in healthy people. These experts share other false beliefs that circulate on the Internet such as myth that says that blows to the breast can cause the disease (p. 1) or the misconception that using deodorant increases the chances of suffering from it (p. 79). There are also many hoaxes about nutrition, such as those that warn that the intake of soy and caffeine favors the onset of the disease (p. 1). The doctor and GEICAM member explains that “soy is not a cause for concern in predisposing to cancer” and? “There is no data that says that caffeine consumption can influence” in its appearance. Cruz also clarifies that it is a “hoax” to say that “lemon juice, baking soda or make an alkaline diet helps reduce the risk of cancer or cure it.” At VerificaRTVE we already explained to you that the consumption of lemon, baking soda and warm water does not serve to prevent or eradicate cancer.
The spread of these falsehoods causes distrust in healthcare and can lead to erroneous decisions in personal care. The president of the Spanish Breast Cancer Federation (FECMA), Antonia Gimón, assures that “These hoaxes can cause tremendous emotional damage because ‘you lose your way’ and you don’t go to the doctor because you think it’s easier to cure yourself that way and that’s impossible.” For oncologist Rodrigo Sánchez-Bayona, “The most dangerous thing is the distrust they generate in the oncologists themselves“because “many times these hoaxes are spread on the Internet as ‘what doctors don’t want you to know.'” For her part, Josefina Cruz emphasizes that leaving a treatment that does have evidence and following a diet such as alkaline “can be detrimental to treating this disease to cure it or to prolong life for as long as possible.
Interview with Antonia Gimón, president of the Spanish Breast Cancer Federation
Faced with misinformation: How can we prevent breast cancer?
“One in three cases of cancer could be avoided by prevention“, emphasizes the medical oncologist at the Canary Islands University Hospital. For this reason, specialists highlight the role of prevention to prolong quality of life and reduce healthcare pressure. The president of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology assures that “Screening mammograms are key which generally begin around 45-50 years old, depending on the region, until 69-70″. In this sense, the president of the Spanish Breast Cancer Federation insists on the importance of “going to the early detection” and recommends going “quickly to your primary care doctor if you are not of the age” and you see or notice something strange in your breasts.
Dr. Piñero agrees with this idea, and recommends “consulting the doctor if suspicious symptoms or signs appear.” It also highlights the importance of performing “a correct breast self-examination”once a month from the age of 30″ and especially “in the days after menstruation ends.” On the other hand, Sánchez-Bayona explains that there is another type of prevention called “primary prevention” that “is aimed at changing habits modifiable life conditions.” Some examples mentioned by the oncologist are “following a Mediterranean diet, doing regular physical exercise, avoiding the consumption of toxic substances such as tobacco and alcohol, avoiding obesity,” among others.
Interview with Antonio Piñero, president of the Spanish Society of Senology and Breast Pathology
The Elle Macpherson case: not all breast cancers are treated the same
In September 2024, a memoir by Australian model Elle Macpherson was made public in which she acknowledged that she gave up chemotherapy when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As he revealed, he decided to follow “alternative therapies” to combat the disease. As we already told you on RTVE.es, these statements were described as “irresponsible” by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology because “can alter the decisions of patients that then affect the chances of being cured“.
We have consulted the four specialists about this case and they all agree that detailed information about his diagnosis is unknown, so publicly launching a message of this type has “a potential risk.” Josefina Cruz believes that “that isolated information only frivolizes a disease that millions of women suffer from.” The GEICAM member assures that these types of messages “cannot be valid enough for us to think that they are real and that they can inform other people who feel identified as what is the right thing to do.” Regarding this example, oncologist Antonio Piñero highlights that “There are tumors that do not need chemo and not all tumors are treated in the same way Not all treatments are useful for all tumors.” Sánchez-Bayona highlights the importance of “personalized medicine” and explains that various aspects are taken into account when selecting one treatment or another, such as “molecular, genetic and pathological.” .
Interview with Rodrigo Sánchez-Bayona, scientific secretary of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology
Beyond chemotherapy
“Not all cancer treatment is chemo“, states the president of the Spanish Society of Senology and Breast Pathology (SESPM). An argument shared by oncologist Rodrigo Sánchez-Bayona: “A very clear trend in breast cancer is that we give less and less chemo“. He explains that “at the beginning of the 2000s most of the patients received it” and that “today it is difficult to give a figure, but we have almost gone to the opposite side.” On this issue he argues that they administer the chemotherapy in cases where “we are very sure that it will be beneficial.”
For his part, Antonio Piñero recalls that some men develop this disease, although he emphasizes that it is “much more common in women.” This oncologist mentions some alternatives to chemotherapy that have been implemented against breast cancer. It highlights “locoregional treatment techniques (both surgical and radiotherapy), immunotherapy, hormone therapy.” This refers to “biological therapies directed at molecular targets” and points out that all of them “have increased response rates and have improved survival of patients with breast cancer.” For correct selection, Piñero concludes that “an adequate study of the tumor and the patient must be carried out and a correct assessment of its risks and benefits”.