Kenneth Glad
Health figures can sound alarming when they are presented without scale. The wider picture often gives women a clearer way to understand what matters.
Cancer charities have urged caution after a breast cancer statistic gained attention for sounding more frightening than it may be in everyday terms.
Daily Mail published a column by Dr Max Pemberton, a British psychiatrist, author and broadcaster, discussing claims presented at a major cancer conference.
He wrote that women who have their first baby in their thirties, or who do not have children, may be 60 percent more likely to develop breast cancer before menopause than women who gave birth in their early twenties.
The percentage refers to relative risk. That can make a change appear dramatic, even when the actual increase for one person remains small.
The column gave a rough example: If the chance for a younger woman is about two in 100, a 60 percent rise would move it closer to three in 100. That means roughly one extra case in 100, not a sharp jump for every woman.
The statistic also concerns breast cancer before menopause, which makes up a smaller share of diagnoses than cases found later in life.
Motherhood does not tell the whole story
Pemberton noted that pregnancy can briefly raise the chance of breast cancer in the years after birth because of hormone shifts and rapid changes in breast tissue.
Over time, however, having children is generally linked with a lower overall chance of developing the disease.
Fiona Osgun from Cancer Research UK said, according to the Daily Mail: “Cancer is a complex disease, and many factors impact someone’s risk of developing it. Having children lowers the risk of someone developing breast cancer, but it’s a very personal decision that people make for many reasons, and there are many other ways that women can reduce their risk of cancer that will have a much bigger impact. Not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, and cutting down on alcohol are just some of the proven steps that will make more of a difference.”
What women can still control
According to the paper, about a quarter of breast cancers in the UK are preventable. Alcohol use and excess weight after menopause were highlighted as important avoidable factors.
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in the UK, with more than 59,000 new cases each year. The column said one in seven women will be diagnosed during their lifetime.
Women are advised to notice changes such as lumps, thickening, skin dimpling, nipple changes, unusual discharge, persistent pain, or changes around the breast, chest or armpit.
For women aged 50 to 71, regular mammograms remain one of the clearest ways to find breast cancer early.
Rather than replaying personal choices from years ago, the more useful step is to stay alert to changes, attend screening when invited and focus on habits that can still be changed.
Source: Daily Mail
