Home »

[TiCam]

PITTSBURGH UNIVERSITY

CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ONCOLOGY

Black Breast Cancer Linked to Hair Care

by Allegra Battle

For the New Pittsburgh Courier

Every year, thousands of American women are diagnosed with some form of breast cancer. While white women are more likely to get the disease than any other racial group, African-American women are more likely to die from breast cancer because the disease is usually detected later.

There are many risk factors for breast cancer, such as family history, age and possibly?what type of hair care products women buy. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Center for Minority Health are looking into the link between African-American beauty products and breast cancer.

The University of Pittsburgh research is based on a study by Dr. Chandra M. Tiwary, who studied a group of African-American girls that developed breasts and pubic hairs as toddlers. Dr. Tiwary identified one common factor with these young girls?all of their mothers had been using hair creams to fix the girls? hair and the creams contained hormones. The girls stopped developing breasts when their mother?s stopped using the hair creams. According to Dr. Devra Davis, Director for the Center of Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Dr. Tiwary?s study is very powerful.

"The more hormones a woman is exposed to in her lifetime, the greater her risk of breast cancer," said Dr. Davis.

Many African-American shampoos, styling gels and cosmetics contain several chemicals that are known to act like estrogens when placed on the scalp or body. These products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

"The FDA only regulates cosmetics after they are released to the market place, if something is called a drug, than it is regulated by the FDA but if it is a cosmetic then it is not subject to the same level of scrutiny as are drugs," Dr. Davis said.

This study has many women, wanting to take a closer look at the personal care products they buy.

"We need to learn to be better consumers and read labels. We want to look our best, and we trust the people who make these products?we assume that the product is made for us to feel and look better," said breast cancer survivor, Evelyn Missouri of Versailles.

Missouri was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984. She had a lumpectomy, where doctors removed part of her breast, and fortunately all of the cancer was taken out. She said her cancer was caused by prolonged exposure to an oral contraceptive with estrogen, and was never told that it was risky for women to be on birth control pills for more than 20 years.

"I think lack of knowledge had a lot to do with it, I never thought about cancer in my life," Missouri said.

Like Missouri, LaVerne P. Freeman?s breast cancer was not directly caused by chemicals in personal care products. Freeman died in October of 1998, and her daughter Harriett C. Jackson of Duquesne said her mother had natural hair, and rarely used hair care products at all.

"Cancer is a complex disease; it arises from many different things," Dr. Davis said.

Even though cancer is complex, there are many risk factors that women can avoid to lower the chance of the disease that include, smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding excessive alcohol use.