Not only does cancer remain the number one killer on the planet, the most common is breast cancer.

Being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Courier asked Ballito obstetrician and gynaecologist, Doctor Leneque Lindeque, to shine a light on the issue.

The Netcare Alberlito doctor first debunked some of the common myths around breast cancer, saying only a small percentage of breast lumps turned out to be malignant.

What should never be ignored however, is a persistent lump which is not only new but causes changes in breast tissue.

On the false belief that men supposedly do not develop breast cancer, she said: “On the contrary, more than 2 000 men are diagnosed annually, of whom more than 400 will die.”

She said breast cancer in men was mostly detected as a hard lump underneath the nipple and areola.

While women who have a family history of breast cancer find themselves in a higher risk group, most women who have breast cancer have no family history.

Statistically, only about 10% of individuals diagnosed have a family history of the disease.

One’s risk depends on one’s relation to relatives with breast cancer. If it involves first generation relatives, the risk would be higher, but it diminishes with each generation.

“But if multiple generations diagnosed with breast cancer on the same side of the family, or if there are several individuals who are “first degree” relatives to one another or several family members were diagnosed under age 50, the probability increases that there is a breast cancer gene contributing to the cause of this familial history.

If this is the case, doctors recommend getting tested for breast cancer gene mutations such as the BRCA gene,” she said.

The trick is to catch cancer growths in time.

“Take charge of your health by performing routine breast self-examinations, establishing ongoing communication with your doctor, getting an annual clinical breast exam, and scheduling your routine screening mammograms.”

On risk factors of breast cancer, Dr Lindeque said there were a plethora of contributing factors, including gender, weight and height.

Statistically speaking, she said women were 100 times more likely to develop breast cancer as opposed to their male counterparts.

Women with an unhealthy body weight are at an increased risks of breast cancer if they have been through menopause.

“A higher body mass index is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women. The mechanism behind this association is not clear.”

Studies have also shown that women taller than 175cm were more likely to develop breast cancer as opposed to women in the lower ranges of 160cm.

Some risk factors for cancer can be avoided, but many cannot. For example, both smoking and inheriting certain genes are risk factors for some types of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided.

Regular exercise and a healthy diet may be protective factors for some types of cancer. Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may lower your risk, but there is no guarantee.

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