Take Six in the Morning Anchor LeAnne Taylor's Breast Cancer Quiz

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OKLAHOMA -- Six in the Morning anchor and breast cancer survivor LeAnne Taylor sorted through facts and fiction about the disease Wednesday morning on Six in the Morning.

LeAnne's made it her mission to educate others about the disease and how she survived it.

Read LeAnne's Story.

Wednesday morning she spoke with Dr. LaNette Smith, a Tulsa breast surgeon and breast cancer expert.  She and LeAnne put together the following breast cancer quiz:

Breast Cancer Questions [True or False]

1.  Men also may develop breast cancer.

True.  Men also do develop breast cancer, but much less often than women.  Breast cancer is about 100 times more common in women.  About 1,400 men develop breast cancer in a year.

2.  You should not be as concerned about breast cancer if you have no family history of breast cancer.

False.  Most women who develop breast cancer do not have any family history of breast cancer.  Women who have a first degree relative with breast cancer are at a somewhat higher risk.  Some women may have a very strong family history of breast cancer, such as bilateral cancer or cancer at very young ages.  These women can be tested to see if they carry a specific gene mutation which predisposes them to develop breast and other cancers.  These are BRCA mutation carriers.  Only about 5% of all breast cancers are related to these mutations.

3.  A woman does not have to worry as much about breast cancer if she does not develop it by the time she is in her 70s.  

False.  The risk of breast cancer for all women increases with age.  At age 50, the risk is 1 in 42.  At age 85, the risk is 1 in 8.  The primary risks for breast cancer are being a woman and getting older.

4.  Antiperspirants and deodorants have been shown to cause breast cancer.

False.  There have been very few studies looking at this, but those available do not show a link between antiperspirants and breast cancer.  Similarly, a relationship between plastics and breast cancer development has also not been demonstrated.

5.  Most women should begin annual screening mammogram's at age 40.

True.  The American Cancer Society and most breast cancer specialists still recommend yearly screening mammography for average risk women over the age of 40.  The US Preventive Task Force recently published information recommending that mammography should be performed every 2 years between the ages of 50 and 74.  This is based on the fact that it requires more screenings to identify a breast cancer in the women between the ages of 40 and 50 because breasts are denser and cancer is less frequent in this age group.

6.  Treatment of all breast cancers requires chemotherapy.

False.  Very early breast cancers typically do not require any chemotherapy for treatment.  This is why early detection is important.  The earlier a breast cancer is found, the less likely it is that chemotherapy will be required as part of the treatment.