Maybe you’ve heard claims like that cell phone use can cause cancer, that grapefruit juice could fight it, or that deodorant is a risk factor for breast cancer. But what does science really say? Is there evidence to support these and other myths about cancer prevention and treatment?
Read in Stickers: 30-year-old people with heart attacks: what are the chances of surviving?
To clarify these concerns, we spoke with Raúl Murillo, director of the Javeriano Center for Oncology; Carlos Castro, director of the League Against Cancer, Bogotá section; and Susana Fiorentino, immunologist, who offer their perspectives and demystify popular beliefs about this disease.
Debunking myths: does deodorant cause cancer?
Photography by: pixabay
Is breast cancer a death sentence?
Murillo explains that in Colombia, every year, there are around 15,000 new cases and 4,500 deaths related to breast cancer. That is, almost a third of all cases, making it the leading cause of death from cancer among women.
However, the director of the Javeriano Oncology Center says that these figures correspond to the late detection and care of the disease and, therefore, it is not a death sentence. “If any type of cancer has benefited from scientific advances for treatment, it has been breast cancer, since now there is an increase in life expectancy,” he says.
This information is for you: The relationship between types of hunger and the brain: a nutritionist explains it to you
The doctor adds that if it is diagnosed at an early stage and timely treatment is started, 90% will live at five years and that “promptly attending routine check-ups is a guarantee that you can be alive at ten, fifteen, twenty years.” ”.
That is why it recommends that all women, from the age of 40, undergo an annual clinical breast examination and, from the age of 50, go for a mammogram every two years – a breast examination taken with X-rays.
Does breast cancer affect only women?
No. Men get it too, but it is rare. “The incidence in men is very low. I recently saw on television that one in a hundred men can have breast cancer. That’s false. Not even one in a hundred women suffers from this disease. Cancer rates are measured per 100,000 and breast cancer in men is absolutely rare,” says the oncologist.
Does deodorant cause breast cancer?
Murillo explains that this association arises because “in the armpit are the lymph nodes that constitute a protective barrier to prevent malignant cells from spreading to the rest of the body.”
Because this migration occurs towards the armpit, people began to associate that the use of deodorant causes breast cancer. Despite this, the specialist assures that studies have been done that show that there is no relationship.
Do cell phones and other electronic devices cause cancer?
“At some point the appearance of a tumor — called acoustic neuroma — was related to the use of cell phones, but it was seen that those studies — which established the link — had very large biases and that they measured in an erroneous way,” clarifies Murillo. .
In that sense, there is no scientific evidence to date to suggest that the use of electronic devices and exposure to electromagnetic waves are related to cancer.
Is breast cancer hereditary?
Yes. Breast cancer has hereditary patterns that have been established for several years. Murillo comments that there is a mutation directly related to this disease and known as the ‘breast cancer gene’: BRCA (breast cancer gene).
“It has been seen that those who have mutations in that gene have a 60 or 70% chance of developing cancer throughout their lives. A figure much higher than that of the general population, which is 8%,” he explains.
Likewise, it says that, although more and more genetic patterns are being discovered that could be related to a greater risk of developing this disease, the majority of cases are not of hereditary origin.
Does self-examination help detect breast cancer early?
Murillo believes that this message has been distorted, because although it is proposed to promote self-care for women, it has become for many “the source for early detection of the disease.”
According to the oncologist, “it is scientifically proven that it is not useful for detecting breast cancer in the initial stages,” as he says that self-examination “increases interventions on the breast due to the number of biopsies and punctures that have to be done each time the woman something is palpable.”
Instead, it suggests performing mammograms and clinical examinations with doctors or nurses trained to detect the disease.
On the contrary, Carlos Castro, director of the League Against Cancer, Bogotá section, defends self-examination in a context like the Colombian one. “It is true that in the United States self-examination has not been shown to reduce mortality as mammography has. There are many North American or European studies that talk about this. But there are no Colombians,” he told Pesquisa Javeriana.
Castro explains that while in the United States—thanks to education and the majority has access to a mammogram—80% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in the early phase, in Colombia more than 50% of consultations are in stages. advanced.
For this reason, he believes that self-examination is one of the most effective solutions to detect breast tumors early. “It is important in Colombia, I am not talking about North America and Europe. Here the inequity is very great and, unfortunately, due to lack of education or access to medical services, many women do not receive care in time,” she explains.
In fact, he comments that a Colombian woman who consults a breast injury for prepaid medicine, in 30 days already has a diagnosis and has started treatment. On the other hand, by SISBEN it can take up to 120 days.
For this reason, he insists that self-examination saves lives. “50% of the patients I see in consultation say that they felt something with the self-examination and that is why they went to the doctor,” he says. Even so, he is emphatic that self-palpation is not the only thing. “The person is also required to exercise, not smoke and have periodic check-ups. You don’t have to be afraid of cancer, you have to respect it and consult in time,” he points out.
A hope placed in phytomedicines
On the path of new therapies appears Susana Fiorentino, a scientist who has been studying the response of tumor cells to the use of some plants, such as anamu and dividivi, for more than twenty years.
“With cancer I realized many things. First, it is not a tumor cell that becomes sick and must be treated with a medication. Then, studying plants as immunomodulators, we realized that they had molecules that activate the immune response, that is, they attacked on the one hand, but on the other they could kill the tumor cell,” explains the immunologist.
This led her to think that “if an extract from a plant that was traditionally used for cancer was capable of killing the tumor cell and activating the immune response, it meant that with a single drug, which was the mixture of those molecules that were in the extract of a plant, one could treat cancer.”
It took time for him to verify his theory, but he finally came to the conclusion that it does work that way, it’s just that the mechanisms involved in this process are very complex.
“Then, one begins to make sense of what Eastern medicine works as traditional Chinese medicine, which is the entire set of therapies united to eliminate the tumor: the management of the being, exercise, diet, pH, chemotherapy… That is, it unites everything: body, mind and spirit.”
In this way, Fiorentino and his team work with plant extracts that fight the tumor and regulate the tumor microenvironment. Thanks to a prize they won from the Colombia Cientifica program, they are now studying more than 30 plants that could have positive effects in cancer treatment.
“When we started working on this topic, the clinical doctors didn’t even look at us, but little by little we showed that plant extracts had chemical molecules and that they had activity on the tumor. Later we were able to show in animal models that treatment with the extracts decreased tumors. I think that showing scientific evidence opened new paths for us and made us go from being researchers who work with herbs to being scientists who develop therapies,” he points out.
What other cancer treatments are effective?
Murillo begins by talking about hormone therapy, “which began to have a great impact in terms of improving the life expectancy of people diagnosed with breast cancer.”
Hormone therapy, according to the National Cancer Institute, is the manipulation of hormones in order to stop or slow down the growth of certain tumors, something that, according to the expert, “has shown significant improvement when combined with surgery.” or with radiotherapy.”
In addition to this, Murillo also highlights the development of a drug that is a “milestone in oncology.” These are therapies directed at molecular targets. “It allows women with a specific molecular characteristic of the tumor to be treated with this drug and thus increase their life expectancy much more,” he adds.
The doctor says that immunotherapy—manipulation of the immune system so that the system itself acts on the tumor—is not as effective in the treatment of breast cancer as it is in other types of tumors.
Does grapefruit juice or soursop juice help fight cancer?
Raúl Murillo explains that many cancer patients often resort to alternative therapies or remedies to accompany their medical treatments. In fact, about 60% use other therapies, according to a Xaverian study carried out in six regions of Colombia—in which the oncologist participates.
“Soursop is perhaps one of the most used and let’s say that with therapies there are some that are harmless, that is, they have neither a good nor bad effect, but it has been seen that there are others that can interfere with the effectiveness.” of the treatments,” he says.
Among the latter is grapefruit juice, which has been shown to interfere with some of the medications administered for cancer treatment.
“Even if one says ‘no, soursop and grapefruit are natural’, that does not imply that they can be taken without restriction because they could have some effect. There are therapies that may not counteract the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment, but could increase its adverse or side effects. For example, in some cases liver function is affected because the patient takes a substance that doctors are unaware of and this forces the treatment to be interrupted,” he adds.
“I recognize that we doctors fail to be receptive to dialogue around this issue because we have an aggressive or contemptuous attitude towards the use of this type of medicine or alternative practices. So, the patient is afraid to consult because they end up scolded,” he says.
Even so, it recommends that there be transparent communication with the group of specialists to find the best treatment according to the needs of each person.
For his part, Fiorentino assures that although a cancer diagnosis can be something terrible, in many cases this disease can be overcome while maintaining a peaceful life. For her, that is what new therapies seek: “that you have a quality of life that allows you to continue with daily activities. Continue living, laughing, working, exercising, drinking wine and going to parties and possibly eliminate cancer, because it is not a death sentence, it is an opportunity to see yourself to improve some habits.
*Text published in Pesquisa magazine.
Don’t leave without first reading: Let’s talk about the contradiction that inhabits us, so unbearable and human
