Do Antiperspirants Cause Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is a personal private fear of most women. Major advances have been made in recent years in breast and other cancers but since no definite cancer trigger has been identified, we feel constantly on the look out for ways to avoid its occurrence. Breast cancer is the seconding leading cause of death of woman after lung cancer, and the American Cancer Society reports that 1.3 million women develop breast cancer every year worldwide.

A few years ago, the news media printed articles suggesting that the use of underarm antiperspirants could be a contributor for breast cancer. The attention died down after the researchers at the National Cancer Institute and the FDA took the stand that based on the studies done there was no conclusive evidence that antiperspirants and deodorants caused cancer. However, just last week a friend told me she tries to not use regular antiperspirant products all the time because of that "cancer warning." Apparently, women are not totally convinced that using these products is risk free.

What was in those studies that lead scientists to suspect antiperspirants were a problem in the first place? The studies began in 2002 and focused on a few different variables: aluminum in the antiperspirant, antiperspirant used on underarms on women who shaved their underarms frequently and the presence of parabens in products used on the skin.

Aluminum in antiperspirants acts to plug sweat glands temporarily to stop odor and perspiration. Aluminum left on the skin near the breast for prolonged periods of time was thought to mimic an estrogen like effect in the body. Excess estrogen has been linked to breast cancer so a hypothesis that aluminum might cause a similar response was made, especially since antiperspirant is used next to breast tissue.

In 2002, a study done by Dr. Mirik tested 800 women with cancer and 800 randomly picked women of similar age. The study did not show a connection between aluminum and breast cancer.

In 2003, Dr. McGrath, an epidemiologist, did a smaller study of 437 women divided into four groups. That research indicated that women who shaved their underarms frequently, more than three times a week and used antiperspirant at least twice a week, developed breast cancer approximately 15 years earlier than woman who didn't. This study did not have a control group, like Mirik's study, so the results were not compared against a group of woman with comparable similarities who did not develop cancer. However, it does suggest that a connection can exist and presents evidence indicating further studies should be done.

A much smaller study was done in 2006 that studied the relationship of antiperspirant and other risk factors for breast cancer. Two groups of approximately 50 women apiece were examined and it was determined that there was no risk of breast cancer with antiperspirant use but that a family history and the use of birth control pills did increase a woman's risk.

The other substances of concern are parabens which are used as preservatives in certain personal care products. Parabens are present in make-up and pharmaceutical products but are not often used in deodorants and antiperspirants. The controversy about parabens came from a 2004 study that tested 20 samples of breast cancer tissue and found parabens in 18 of them. Since paraben content was not tested in other cancerous tissues in the body nor was it determined where the parabens may have come from, there is no definite conclusion about whether parabens actually cause cancer tumors or just happen to be present in the tissue tested.

Women, and men, need to be vigilant about avoiding possible sources of cancer producing products but without further testing that measures particular variables used in our day to day life, we can only try to stay clear of those substances that suggest harm. This is what my friend is doing by trying to avoid wearing antiperspirant every day. It may take many more years to get closer to knowing what specific daily products we should avoid to prevent the development of breast cancer.

http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/statistics.asp

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/ap-deo

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4587-deodorants-plus-shaving-linked-to