Breast cancer prevention: Separating facts from myths

August 1, 2025

Providence Women's Health Team

[6 MIN READ]

Breast cancer prevention: Separating facts from myths

Often, there’s no rhyme or reason why one person gets breast cancer, and another person does not. However, there are proven ways to reduce your risk.

Sasha E. Stanton, M.D., PhD, is a medical breast oncologist and leads the Cancer Immunoprevention Laboratory at Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a division of Providence Cancer Institute, where she’s researching how our immune systems can be harnessed to combat cancer. For Dr. Stanton, breast cancer prevention is personal. She has a strong family history of breast cancer and her best friend’s mother died from breast cancer while they were both in college.

Here, Dr. Stanton shares evidence-backed ways to reduce breast cancer risk and debunks common breast cancer myths and misconceptions (spoiler alert: deodorant with aluminum doesn’t increase your risk).

Understanding your breast cancer risk

According to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a woman in the U.S. has a one in eight chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 75. Understanding your breast cancer risk means understanding your personal risk factors.

Non-controllable risk factors include a family history of breast cancer and breast density. Controllable risk factors are areas where you can make changes, such as how often you exercise, your weight, and your alcohol consumption.

6 evidence-based breast cancer prevention strategies

Every person’s situation is unique. Vigorous exercise may be easy for some people to add to their routine. Other people may have mobility issues or time constraints. What follows is what we know works. Talk to your doctor about breast cancer prevention strategies that will work for you.

Maintain a healthy weight

“Fat cells release estrogen, and about 70% of breast cancers are estrogen positive,” Dr. Stanton says. “The internet is going to tell you to try all these fad diets. But it’s really all about a well-balanced diet. Everything in moderation, including moderation. If you can have one cookie instead of a box, that’s better.”

Stay physically active

Exercise is important, especially if you’re mindful about how you exercise. According to the American Cancer Society, you should try to get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise each week. An example is a brisk walk where you can still talk. Or, aim to get 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.

Limit alcohol consumption

Dr. Stanton recommends moderate or less-than-moderate alcohol consumption.

“Less than one drink a night for women, two drinks a night for men,” Dr. Stanton says. “The patients who drink on the higher side have a higher risk for breast cancer.”

Consider breastfeeding if possible

Of course, not everyone has children, and if you do, breastfeeding isn’t always an option. But according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, breastfeeding has been shown to decrease the risk of breast cancer.

Talk to your doctor about hormone therapy

Some women take prescription hormones, also called hormone replacement therapy or HRT, to help with menopausal symptoms. In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative stopped a long-term HRT study after observing increased breast cancer risk. In response, people stopped HRT. However, newer studies indicate that how HRT affects breast cancer risk is dependent on many factors.

“Hormone replacement therapy has benefits,” Dr. Stanton says. “It improves people’s bone density, causing them to have fewer fractures. It helps with cardiovascular risk and is probably why women live longer than men. And quite frankly, perimenopause isn’t fun.”

Most of Dr. Stanton’s patients either have breast cancer or are at high risk for breast cancer. For these patients, she doesn’t recommend HRT.

“There’s a big debate right now in women who have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations,” Dr. Stanton says. (These mutations put you at an increased risk for breast cancer.) “When they turn 40, or they stop childbearing, they have to have their ovaries taken out, and typically a bilateral mastectomy. In doing so, we’re throwing these very young women into menopause.”

If these same women don’t have a history of breast cancer, sometimes HRT is prescribed to help with their menopausal symptoms.

“You have to treat the whole patient,” Dr. Stanton says. “In my breast cancer patients, I put them on medications that drop their estrogen. It causes vaginal dryness, and it can increase the risk of urinary tract infections. So we do prescribe topical vaginal estrogen as long as they understand the risks.”

Talk to your doctor, who will take into consideration your personal breast cancer risk and the severity of your symptoms to help determine if HRT is right for you.

Consider genetic testing

“If you’ve had breast cancer before you were 50, if you have a primary relative with a mutation or if you have a primary relative who had breast cancer, particularly before 50, consider genetic testing,” Dr. Stanton says.

If you have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation, you are at an increased risk for several different kinds of cancer, including breast cancer. Your doctor can help you decide if you should have genetic testing.

Common breast cancer prevention myths debunked

Whether the result of a misinterpreted or debunked study or family lore passed down throughout the generations, breast cancer prevention myths and misinformation remain prevalent.

Myth: Deodorants and antiperspirants can cause breast cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, there are no strong studies nor scientific evidence linking a higher risk of breast cancer and antiperspirant use.

Myth: Only women with family history get breast cancer

According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, only 5 to 10% of all breast cancers are hereditary. Most women who have breast cancer don’t have a family history.

Myth: Breast implants cause breast cancer

Breast implants don’t increase the risk of breast cancer. However, in 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration noted a possible link between a certain type of breast implant and anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a rare type of cancer that affects white blood cells.

Myth: Cell phones and microwaves increase risk

People are exposed to radiofrequency (RF) radiation every day via broadcasting TV and radio signals, cell phones, body scanners, microwaves and even the sun. According to the National Cancer Institute, studies have shown that using cell phones and microwaves doesn’t result in an increased risk of breast cancer, even if you tend to tuck your cell phone into your underwire bra or store it in your shirt’s breast pocket.

Myth: All lumps are cancerous

If you feel a lump during a self-exam, don’t panic, but do get it checked out. Most breast lumps are benign tumors, meaning they’re not harmful. It’s also important to remember that all breast cancers don’t begin as a lump.

“My research is on lobular breast cancer,” Dr. Stanton says. “Lobular breast cancer doesn’t typically present as a lump. People will see things like nipple retraction or skin changes, or they'll have discharge from a nipple. If you have any of those things, call your doctor.”

Screening and early detection guidelines

Breast cancer screening is one of the best detection tools we have for early-stage breast cancer diagnoses. Still, Dr. Stanton says she knows people who are hesitant, insisting there are too many false positives or fearing they will receive bad news.

“But earlier diagnosis is the key,” Dr. Stanton says. “The later we catch things, the more we miss. I see people who didn’t get screened present with more advanced breast cancer, and their outcomes aren’t as good. Also important is knowing yourself and knowing when you see something weird.”

For people who are at average risk, Dr. Stanton recommends annual mammograms starting at age 40, but says, “If you have a family history of breast cancer, particularly in a first-degree relative, you should start regular screenings 10 years before they were diagnosed.”

For people who have a genetic mutation or a mass biopsy, Dr. Stanton recommends MRIs in addition to regular mammograms. MRIs can be especially helpful when screening higher-risk younger women who often have dense breast tissue.

Take action: Your prevention plan with Providence

At Providence, our health care providers advocate for breast cancer awareness. We screen for breast cancer risk, and we use the most advanced imaging technology to help detect breast cancer as early as possible. There are things you can do to prevent breast cancer. The most important first step is to talk to a doctor who specializes in breast care.

Contributing caregiver

Sasha E. Stanton, M.D., PhD, is a medical breast oncologist and leads the Cancer Immunoprevention Laboratory at Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a division of Providence Cancer Institute.

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