Government ad campaign linking BC and alcohol

Public Archive
1

Is it just me that is irritated by news of a forthcoming government ad campaign which focuses on linking breast cancer occurrence to alcohol consumption? OK, alcohol is not good for us and is a risk, but there are several other known risk factors, as well as evidence of genetic disposition.

Wouldn’t the money be better spent on funding research into treatments? Or improving cancer care?

What really gets me is reports of the image to be used :

In another (advertisement), a pair of large glasses full of red wine, which resemble breasts, are used to remind women of the link between excess alcohol intake and breast cancer.
guardian.co.uk/society/2008/may/18/drugsandalcohol.health1

mmh, charming.

In current reports of the forthcoming campaign statistics are being bandied around which seem to me to over-emphasise the role of alcohol as a cause of BC. For example

…a Department of Health report which shows women who drink more than 14 units per week are 50 per cent more likely to get breast cancer.
It (the report) suggests alcohol consumption is implicated in around 2,000 cases of breast cancer each year as well as causing other cancers, liver damage and fertility problems in women. timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3602031.ece

Such statistics require some context. According to the Cancer Research UK website more than 44,500 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year. The vast majority of these are women.
cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=3293#common

And elsewhere Valerie Beral, head of the Cancer Research UK epidemiology unit at Oxford University, is reported to attribute the central cause of increase in BC amongst women to changes in child-bearing patterns.

independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/global-rise-in-breast-cancer-due-to-western-lifestyles-773162.html

The Cancer Research UK website has a much more contextual account of the role of alcohol risks:

With each additional daily measure - a glass of wine for example - there is an increase in risk of breast cancer of about 7%. This means that there will be about 3 extra cases of breast cancer for every 200 women who have 2 drinks a day, when compared to women who don’t drink at all.
cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=3293#alcohol

It is important to remember that the impact of drinking alcohol on a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer is small compared to other factors. For example, giving birth to only 1 or 2 children and not breast feeding has a much bigger effect.
cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=5257

I realise this is a bit of a rant, and, yes, I enjoy a drink of wine with my evening meal. But I do not attribute my breast cancer to drinking wine, and I resent the implication that alcohol is a major cause of breast cancer – there are a lot of other factors involved and I think the risk of drinking needs to be put in the context of other risks.

I await actually seeing these ads with some misgiving, as it seems to me they lack sensitivity for those of us who have breast cancer,

Lottie

2

Oh well thats me well and truly done for then! I like my wine, vodka and thought it was my liver I was just damaging! I knew there was a link but I didnt think a strong one! I am drinking more this week (mixed with vallium) to help me get to my surgery to find out if I have BC. Looks like even if I don’t have it the drinking I am doing will cause BC later down the line…oh joy!!!

ps I am not a drunk honest lol I just enjoy a couple of glasses of wine a few nights a week, but now its every night to keep me calm for Friday!

3

When taken in context, the risk of alcohol linked to breast cancer is small and that other risk factors such as no children, small families, children late on in life etc are more significant. However, alcohol, like smoking, is a good stick for the government to beat us with. This is because they can say that we can do something about drinking/smoking/obesity etc and if we don’t, we only have ourselves to blame. Remember the government want to discourage drinking in general because of the rise in other health problems and the cost of policing for drink related crime, so aiming the campaign at women warning them that if they continue to drink they may develop breast cancer gives wide coverage. I am very cynical about mass media campaigns as they have been proven to be ineffective in changing behaviour and also promote the culture of victim blaming which takes the focus away from the government for funding for research into the causes and treatment. I agree that the current campaign with two wine glasses representing breasts is not in good taste. Will make the little boys titter (pardon the pun) no doubt.

4

I have always been led to believe that the link between alcohol and BC is to do with alcohol causing weight gain and this being linked to hormone positive cancers. I always liked wine until I became ill then I cut back, but this was because I no longer enjoyed the taste whilst on chemo. During most of my treatment I had pretty much cut it out altogether; also at one point I was in bed for nearly 4 months on account of the side effects of Taxotere. I now drink wine moderately, but can go for weeks on end without - I plan a couple of glasses this evening as it’s OHs birthday. I do not attribute it to my own BC as I was Her2+. An oncologist relative of mines told me they have known about the alcohol BC link for a long time, but not to read too much into it.

5

They had better not. They may as well do an ad campaign linking eating to obesity, or walking to falling over. Definitely risk factors. Money better spent on PREVENTION, methinks.

snowwhite

6

I am all in favour of a glass of wine most evenings as long as the glass is not pint sized!

7

I am fed up with the broad brush approach of the media/nanny state to “this causes bc”. Those of us who have gone/are going through it know from the research we may have done or what we might have read on this site that bc is not just a simple disease. There are various types and sub types of those types. Personally, I could have been at risk because I am childless, a bit overweight, like a drink however I was 48 at dx (young for the disease), physically fit (gym 4 times a week). THen again my mother died of ovarian cancer at a youngish age and the view is I was genetically predisposed (testing for me and my sister ongoing).

It’s bad enough having to go through all this - I am a year from dx - chemo, surgery, rads and today I had the 9th of 15 Herceptin. Arimidex makes my joints ache and I would like one day when my body doesnt hurt in some way. I dont want to beat myself up because the government says I shouldn’t have a wine or a g&t.

Rant over
Sharon x

8

Hi all,

Im disappointed to read this post, as people can be so judgemental. you are right the government should put this money into research… Ok i drink more than 14 units a week, but had no other risk, 3 kids, breastfed 2 of them, bmi 23 ect…Diagosed at 41, 6 months later mum diagnosed with BC(at 66)…she has a sherry a month! So at the end of the day, vino and gin are sociable and personally help me cope by relaxing, i dont smoke, do drugs, over eat… help …i need one pleasure!!

Cheers,

Jill

9

Hello every one
It really winds me up when I see the rubbish that we are bombarded with!!!
I didn’t have sex too early in life, I have only ever had two partners (not at the same time!), I had my first child when I was 25, and consiquent children at 29 and 35. I breast fed all three, the first two to seven months and the third to 1 year old!. I have no genetic link, no history in the family, not even distant relatives. I don’t drink much and never have, once a week - may be - and then it would only be a couple. I have smoked, but don’t now and didn’t at dx, (when I did it was more of a social thing and never at home). I was diagnosed at 43.
I agree with Cathy, they can blame us if they have warned us. So where is the warning advert about animal fat? We’ve all heard the one about the far east incidents increases since they have been more westernised and eating burgers and the such, haven’t we? Honestly, breathing is dangerous!!
Wishing yoy all well.
Scarlet.

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Totally gets to me - maybe its cos I like my wine big style and probably drank more since diagnosed (althought will stop with chemo this week) but it just scares you so much but if you listen to everything associated with it you wouldnt eat, drink or do anything. I wonder why they are only associating it with drink, surely looking at the bigger picture anything could be related - yes maybe we can drink too much but me and all my friends drink a lot so why do I have it and no-one else does, why does my aunty have it and doestn really drink?! This is how I feel most of the time, but then sometimes I think, maybe Im bringing it on myself and should stop!! It totally cheeses me off that the advert is two large wine glasses breast shaped showing the dangers, can they prove this and is it just there way of trying to reeduce binge drinking - better go as had a few wines and its getting to me
~Lisa
x

11

I am going to agree with the post in the paper. I never drank anything until 2004 when my mum died then started drinking wine too much of it and was Dx Oct 2005. Maybe just a coincidence but i dont know.

I do find drinking wine brings on hot flushes even now and so i think some of us (not all) it does affect and contribute to BC.

Saying that though, when i was on the ward with 5 other ladies having surgery for BC we were all different and some never drank at all.

Its a mine field for sure.

Rx.

12

Lets see what the ‘Daily Mail’ comes up with this morning to ‘blame’ us for getting bc this time ??? Breathing probably…

13

Well I am not giving up drinking,its one of my pleasures,I don’t smoke or take drugs,other than the ones being pumped into me ot the moment,so I enjoy having a drink and I am not ashamed to say so.

Cheers
Mary
x

14

And so do/am I Maryfrod, though I’m off the taste at the moment. It’ll be one of my first pleasures when taste returns to normal. And I tell you what - I’m bloody glad I’ve enjoyed it over the years, because even if it is considered a factor, I’d have been highly irritated to have cut it out for health reasons & got this thing anyway, as so many do. It could just as easily be linked to genes that produce the personality type that likes a laugh and good company over a bottle and good food; or perhaps the personality type that likes a younger husband (I’ve noticed that there are a few of those on here, including myself) who still likes to party; or perhaps laughter itself…

Laissez les bons temps rouler - as they say in Cajun country!
M-L x

15

I with you girls on the enjoyment of alcohol. I was in fact hoping that my taste for it diminished during radiotherapy, but alas, remained as strong. I agree Emelle, that there are too many variables in the mix for breast cancer and as well as the personality type who enjoys a social drink, they probably looked at women who had serious alcohol problems as well. Their diet and many of their behaviours would be unhealthy, not just the fact they drank. The younger husband thing is interesting. Mine too is four years younger. Now there is a research question for someone with a load of sponsorship money and nothing better to do!

and I’m all for letting the good times roll - definitely

16

I don’t much like the tone of the government ads, but I get annoyed when people repeatedly refuse to acknowledge that there is a risk factor asociated with alcohol. All the resaerch suggests there is. It reminds me of the denial which there used to be towards the much more substantiated link between smoking and lung cancer.

Breat cancer is a multi faceted diseease where ‘lifestyle’ ,environmental and genetic factors all interweave in ways not in the least properly understood. Some of the most siginifcant risk factors (like ageing) we can’t do anything about, but yes people can if they choose, so something about other risk factors like drinking. Which is not to say that non drinkers don’t still get breast cancer…they do.

Personally I was a heavyish drinker during much of my 20s and 30s and 40s…I don’t particularly think drinking caused my breast cancer but I do think it may have been one of the many factors which tipped me over the edge (in my case a short menstrual cyscle, and no children…hence no breast feeding… may well have been more significant in my case.)

I agree that the focus on individuals rather than on environmental factors and the cultrue of individual blame is irritating, but not half as irritating as the thousands of breast cancer patients who believe without a shred of evidence that ‘stress’ was responsible for their getting cancer…talk about self blame.

Jane

17

I can only speak for myself, but I am aware of the risks of alcohol linked to BC. IHowever, I would like to add that when I asked my oncologist about the link with alcohol, he shook his head and said that the evidence was flawed and I would be better off losing weight than worrying about drinking. He automatically assumed, I guess, that because I am middle aged that I wouldn’t be abusing alcohol (which I am not, I hasten to add) but nevertheless, could be. However, my concern is the way in which the government choose to change behaviours. Research suggests constantly that mass media campaigns may raise awareness in the short term, but are not particularly effective in getting people to stop the unhealthy behaviour they are aimed at. Its like all those anti smoking campaigns showing dying smokers etc and decaying lungs. They did very little to get people to quit. The biggest reduction was seen when smoking clinics were introduced to target those who wanted to quit with one to one counselling etc. Perhaps a more tailored approach would be of more use and more financially viable in the long term? My gripe is the advertisement itself, which I think is demeaning and therefore likely to either annoy or amuse those its aimed at and not do much to stop them drinking. I do agree that other factors that not linked like stress, sexual history and smoking, seem to be a fixation for some people.

Cathy

18

There was a Danish study that showed that while general daily stress was not a factor, the stress of specific one-off events, such as bereavement, could well be linked.

Personally I find this alcohol link very difficult to deal with. I had no other risk factors (reached puberty late, two of my three children born before I was 30, breastfed all three, slim, fit, dx at 44, no family history) so what do I blame if not my enjoyment of a glass of wine at night?

19

Hi RoadRunner

I am in complete agreement with you on the glass or two of wine - I for one believe the benefits in relaxing with wine after a stressful day, outweigh any potential harm. I also look at the European women who drink wine regularly as part of their culture. I am sure their breast cancer stats are no more than cultures that don’t drink. Continuous stress although not linked, must play a part as we all know how terrible we feel when under terrible stress. In fact, I have just visited a good friend who has been under lots of stress with work, husband sent to Afghanistan, commuting, etc and she lost 2 stone in a month and she was slim to begin with. She looked awful so how could her immune system be on top form? I have given up worrying now about why I might have got BC. I don’t have a genetic link (so they tell me - never been tested) so God knows why I have it, just like the rest of you must feel.

20

Not being in England at the moment, I haven’t seen the ad, but have certainly read the reports. Now I’m a girl (in my dreams) who enjoys a glass of wine, every night I would say, with supper. (Ok sometimes two). I went off it during chemo, but have found my taste for it again now I’m having radiotherapy! I can well remember when my children were young saying to friends that I liked a glass of wine with my meal even if OH was away and it was just me and the children having fish fingers or cheese on toast! Having come up with blanks on all the usual risk factors, I do now have to acknowledge that this could have upped my risk of getting breast cancer. The interesting thing is that, logically, I should now be saying OK, no more wine. But am I, am I heck!!, … but do I have to accept the fact that an activity that was once totally pleasurable is now tinged with the feeling that perhaps it is not such a great idea. Oh well, I for one am just going to have to live with that. We all make our choices I suppose! Cheers anyway!