Antiperspirants Do NOT Cause Breast Cancer

Background

The following e-mail about antiperspirants and breast cancer has made the rounds on the Internet, and many of you sent it to us for comment. The e-mail, which claims that "The leading cause of breast cancer is the use of antiperspirants," has alarmed countless women around the world—unnecessarily.

New information about antiperspirants and breast cancer

Intriguing as it is to consider whether antiperspirants and breast cancer are linked—after all, the armpit and the breast ARE next-door neighbors, and the start of antiperspirant use DID precede the subsequent rise in breast cancer incidence—there are no studies that prove any connection. While we'd all like to identify THE single cause of breast cancer so that we could all avoid getting the disease, antiperspirants are simply not a cause of breast cancer.

Here are some reasons why the myth about antiperspirants doesn't make sense:

• There are plenty of other areas where you can still sweat: your scalp, your face, the front of your neck and down along the cleavage, down your back, in your groin area, and behind the knees (think about your all-over sweat "sprinkler system" during a hot flash!).
• Why would antiperspirants affect only breast cancer risk? It doesn't increase the risk of skin cancer in the armpit, even though antiperspirant concentration is highest there. If antiperspirant is absorbed through the skin and stored in the armpit lymph nodes, then why isn't there a higher rate of lymph node cancer?
• Even if the antiperspirant were concentrated in the armpit lymph nodes, the lymphatic fluid would not drain away to the breast. The direction of lymphatic fluid flow starts in the breast, and drains out through the armpit lymph nodes, toward the neck, and back into circulation. Additionally, there are one-way valves along the lymphatic drainage channels that keep the fluid moving in one direction (AWAY from the breast, not TO the breast).
• It's not true that "nearly all breast cancers" occur in the upper outer aspect of the breast, the part closest to the armpit. Rather, 40–50% of all breast cancers occur in that region, in part because more breast tissue naturally "lives" in this area, compared to the three other quadrants of the breast: upper inner, lower outer, and lower inner.

Why is this important?

Don't assume that what you read is necessarily true. You have to be a careful reader as you plow through the enormous amount of information out there. Whenever you read something that makes a big scary claim or concerns you, analyze it critically, and ask your trusted healthcare professional for his or her perspective. You can also express your concern to us at Breastcancer.org and we can offer you our opinion.