Attitudes About Breast Cancer

The death rates for breast cancer have remained relatively constant for the past 50 years. One reason breast cancer may seem more prevalent today is that it has become an acceptable part of public discussion.

As recently as 50 years ago, the word "cancer" was unmentionable -- much like the words "tuberculosis," "sex," or "divorce." This reticent attitude also infused social mores. Many women avoided touching their breasts out of modesty or shame and were uncomfortable if anyone else did -- even a doctor. Because the concept of the routine medical checkup was generally unknown, a breast cancer might be noticed for the first time when it became a mass too large to ignore or when it caused an ulcer through the skin.

During the 1960s and 1970s, attitudes and practices began to change. Women started seeking routine checkups, including clinical breast exams, and doctors began learning how to perform the exams correctly. Women's health advocacy groups encouraged open discussion of female health problems in general, and greater awareness of breast cancer in particular. It wasn't until this time that monthly self-examination became promoted more widely -- despite the fact that physicians had first suggested it in 1933.