Several years ago Dr. Oz and a number of news outlets broadcast stories indicating that cell phones, when carried in a woman’s bra, might be linked to breast cancer.
The stories featured cases of a few women who developed breast cancer even though they were young and did not have a family history of breast cancer. The women happened to carry their phones in their bras. Although there is no evidence linking their cancers to their common habit of carrying their phones in their bras, the stories attracted a lot of attention. More than three years after the Dr. Oz segment aired, some women are still wondering: “Do cell phones cause breast cancer?”
According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation: “Studies show no link between cell phone use and the risk of breast cancer (or other types of cancer).”
Dr. Ted Gansler, director of medical content for the American Cancer Society’s “Expert Voices” blog writes, “No systematic studies have been done.
“Conclusions based on single cases or a few cases are sometimes true and sometimes are not. That is why epidemiologic research uses sophisticated statistical methods to analyze data from large groups of people. These studies provide important information that can tell us how to avoid things (like smoking) that increase risk and what we can do (like physical activity) to decrease risk of various diseases.”
In other words, without research, the possible link between cell phones and breast cancer is coincidence, not evidence.
So what should a woman do?
If you are concerned about breast cancer, take steps that may reduce your risk of developing the disease, Dr. Gansler writes. Avoid excessive weight gain and obesity as an adult, be physically active and limit your alcohol intake. As for the question of where to carry your phone, “That depends on how worried you are about this unproven-but-not-disproven risk, and how much you would be inconvenienced by finding another place to keep your phone.”
