Deodorant Found in Some Breast Cancer Tissue

113053402Breast cancer is currently considered as the leading type of cancer affecting women around the world.  This type of cancer is generally treated through a combination of surgery, chemo- and/or radiation therapy.  In order to decrease cancer risk and progression, women 18 years and older are encouraged to perform self-breast examination on a regular basis.  On the other hand, women of ages 50 years and older are encouraged to undergo mammography on a routine basis to detect any unusual lumps in the breast.

Breast Cancer and Cancer Tissue

If a lump is detected after mammography, it is possible that the woman will be subjected to tissue examination.  In this case, the potential cancer tissue is removed through a needle biopsy, examined using special stains and viewed under a microscope. This tissue sample allows the pathologist to know whether the cancer tissue is benign or malignant.  Tissue examination also helps in determining the actual stage of breast cancer of the patient.

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Cancer of the breast is not only a life-changing event to a woman— it also affects her loved ones.  Members of the family, close friends, and relatives can also be affected by the news of developing cancer of the breast.  Once of member of the family is diagnosed with breast cancer, it might also be helpful for other female family members to undergo testing for the presence of cancer tissue in order to determine their cancer risk.  Early detection of breast cancer is considered as the best approach for this devastating condition.

Breast Cancer Doesn’t Just Affect Women

Although much has been said about how cancer of the breast affects women, their loved ones, and friends, there is a growing concern about the effects of various products on cancer risk.  The most common question that people would ask is— Is there a certain activity that I have been doing that increases the chances of developing cancer of the breast?  According to a recent study published in the journal Radiotherapy and Oncology, the presence of chemicals from deodorants may be detected in the cancer tissue of patients.

The authors of the report reviewed available articles that looked into the association between deodorant use and its presence in cancer tissue and their research resulted in the identification of four clinical studies on this topic.  These reports discussed that the use of deodorant for hygienic purposes may indeed result in the presence of chemicals in the skin and tissues involved in cancer; however, its presence does not have any worsening effects on the cancer patient.  More importantly, the presence of deodorant components in the skin and tissues does not affect the treatment for this type of cancer.

Deodorant and Breast Cancer – Shocking Information

For decades, deodorants have been used to control production of body odor.  This hygienic activity prevents negative social effects on a person, which may often be distressing.  Although physicians often recommend that cancer patients avoid using deodorants during radiation or chemotherapy, this advice is mainly based on the possible effects of the metallic components of the product on radiation.  It has been suggested that exposing these metallic components to radiation may possibly enhance the effects of this therapy and thus the advice is simply based on the need to ensure the safety of the patient.  It has been theorized that the amount of radiation that enters the body may become more concentrated if the surface of the skin contains metallic compounds.  However, a previous study has shown that the amount of radiation does not increase, even in the presence of metallic compounds from deodorant use.

RELATED READING: Raw Foods and Breast Cancer Prevention

The recent report is very informative because it allows the readers to know the latest findings on the association between cancer and deodorant use.  Although there are active efforts in identifying ways to decrease cancer risk, the application of deodorants while receiving therapy still appears to be safe and that the advice on avoiding deodorant use during treatment is mainly based on the possible interaction between metallic compounds and radiation, and not directly on the chances of causing cancer.

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