Medical experts in the field of oncology have said there is no scientific evidence to show that breast cancer can be prevented when husbands suck their wives’ breasts regularly.
The oncologists, who maintained that the claim was unscientific, however, said men could help in early detection of breast cancer through foreplay.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise, the cancer specialists clarified that breastfeeding and breast sucking are not in any way synonymous.
According to them, this misconception that husbands sucking their wives’ breasts can help reduce the risk of contracting cancer must be corrected so that couples’ are not lured into a false sense of security.
The oncologists noted that regular screenings and a healthy lifestyle are generally emphasised for breast cancer prevention.
Cancer, the experts said was one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide.
According to the World Health Organisation, the number of cancer patients is expected to double in the next two decades with a commensurate number of healthcare workers required to care for them.
A Professor of Radiology at the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka/University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Ifeoma Okoye, told our correspondent that regular sucking of the breast is not a guaranteed prevention method for breast cancer.
She said, “It’s crucial to note that individual health is influenced by a combination of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, and overall health.
“While breastfeeding can be a healthy choice for both mothers and babies and is associated with certain health benefits for both the mother and the infant, there isn’t substantial scientific evidence to suggest that regular sucking of the breast alone prevents breast cancer. It’s not a guaranteed prevention method for breast cancer.
“Breastfeeding and breast sucking are not in any way synonymous. Kindly note that the physiological milieu necessitating breastfeeding and the physiological response it elicits, results in a hormonal interplay that protects against breast cancer.
“Breast sucking is a manual activity that lacks these specific hormonal changes. As advocates of cancer prevention, science should guide us.
“As specialists dedicated to cancer diagnosis management, this misconception must be corrected so you don’t lure couples into a false sense of security.”
Okoye, who is also the Founder and President of Breast Without Spot Cancer, a non-governmental organisation in breast cancer awareness and prevention in Nigeria, said in 2020, almost 125,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in Nigeria and that almost 79,000 died from the disease.
The oncologist pointed out that amongst all the cancers in males and females, breast cancer tops the list.
“About half of women diagnosed with breast cancer die from it. Prostate cancer and cervical cancer follow closely behind”, she added.
Giving insight into the associated benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and its link to reducing breast cancer risk, the Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons, said breastfeeding has some protective factors because it has to do with hormonal changes, unlike breast sucking which is just a manual activity that lacks specific hormonal changes.
“Lactation, usually leads to delayed menstrual cycles in most women, conferring protection from achieving a new pregnancy, prematurely, just by reducing exposure to oestrogen, (a hormone that can play a role in the development of breast cancer).
“Most mothers are advised by paediatricians to breastfeed for 18 months to two years to enable protection of the baby from certain infections. That oestrogen withdrawal for those many months reduces the risk it confers for breast cancer.
“Thus, the protective effects of breastfeeding against breast cancer are related to this hormonal interplay. It’s a complex relationship influenced by various factors.
“It’s crucial to note that individual health is influenced by a combination of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, and overall health”, the oncologist said.
Listing measures to prevent breast cancer, Okoye, who is a Director of the University of Nigeria, Centre for Clinical Trials, further said it was important for husbands to be breast aware and join their wives to be breast vigilant to reduce their risk of breast cancer.
She noted that men play a crucial role in the early detection of breast cancer, stating that a literature review had shown that 70 per cent of breast cancer was spouse-detected during foreplay.
Continuing, the cancer researcher also said men should improve their willingness to support their spouses through the cancer care journey, and not succumb to stigmatisation.
“Encouraging male involvement in advocacy for increased uptake for screening for early detection and adopting cancer prevention strategies.
“Reduction in fear of mastectomy and increase in uptake of orthodox treatment by reducing apathy for hospital management.
“Reduction in discrimination against patients with breast cancer in their workspace and market space,” she added.
Also, a Consultant Clinical and Radiation Oncologist at the Department of Oncology, Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Dr Sharif Folorunso, said, “The claim that husbands sucking their wives’ breasts can help reduce the risk of contracting cancer is not scientific.
“It can, however, help in early detection, as it may help notice change in the breast which could prompt further examination.
“Breastfeeding babies, however, decrease the relative risk of breast cancer by 4.3 per cent every 12 months of breastfeeding.”
According to the American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in addition to lowering a mother’s risk for type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, breastfeeding can also lower a mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
“A recent study found that only about one in four people think that a woman is less likely to develop breast cancer later in life if she breastfeeds.
“It’s important to know that breastfeeding helps not only a baby’s health but also that of the mother, CDC stated.
