Ask the doctor - mobiles and cancer :: Women's health

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Click here for the main Ask the doctor page, with questions and answers from our magazine doctors on 25 health topics

I use a mobile phone all day for work, and wonder if the electromagnetic radiation is affecting my health.

The type of radiation emitted by a cell phone is non-ionising. It’s similar to a very low-powered microwave oven, heating cells by causing molecules to vibrate. As a result, exposure to mobile phone radiation increases the activity of brain cells within 50 minutes, but the e ects of this artificial stimulation are unknown. There is no conclusive evidence on whether or not using a mobile is harmful to health. Some studies suggest it may reduce our ability to concentrate, while other studies show no effect. The World Health Organisation states that the electromagnetic radiation emitted from mobile phones is a ‘possible’ cause of cancer in humans, although the evidence is ‘limited’. Even so, they now classify mobile phones as having the same cancer risk as lead, exhaust fumes and chloroform, so it seems sensible to limit their use as much as possible. Select a low-emission phone – ask your supplier – and keep calls short. Avoid using it when the signal is weak, as this increases power output, and use a wired rather than a wireless hands-free unit. Devices such as the Q-Link pendant and bracelets are designed to balance and strengthen your own energy elds, and are said to boost resistance to electromagnetic elds. For more information, visit www.qlinkeurope.eu.
Dr Sarah Brewer, Prima (Sep 12)

Should I take aspirin regularly? I’m 45 and healthy, but there’s a history of cancer in my family and I’ve heard that aspirin can help decrease the risk.

I wish there were a simple ‘yes or no’answer to this question, which patients ask me on almost a daily basis. For years, aspirin has been known to protect against heart disease by making your blood less sticky. And now research suggests that taking it regularly can cut the risk of some cancers. Unfortunately, aspirin also has side-effects, including potentially fatal internal bleeding. Whether to take aspirin or not, therefore, depends on your individual risk of bleeding and the benefits you would get. If you’ve had a heart attack, taking regular aspirin lowers your chance of having another attack by almost a quarter, and for the vast majority of heart attack sufferers the pros outweigh the cons. On the other hand, a major study earlier this year suggested that, for healthy people, the risks of bleeding more than counter any possible heart benefit.

In terms of cancer, it very much depends on the type and your family history. If bowel cancer runs in your family, for example, you could benefit from taking regular aspirin from your late 40s or early 50s, which in turn could cut your cancer risk within three to five years – but do chat to your GP first.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, Good Housekeeping (Jul 12)

I can have a mammogram as part of my new job's health insurance, but I'm only 42. I thought these tests didn't until you were aged 50?
Women have a one in eight chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. As four out of five cases occur in women over the age of 50, the national breast screening programme concentrates on inviting women aged 50 to 70 for routine mammograms. However, screening is available to women under 50 if they have a strong family history of breast cancer. Recent studies suggest that women in their forties with no close relatives affected are just as likely to develop invasive breast cancer as those with a family history of the disease – and some researchers are calling for all women to be screened annually from age 40. If screening is offered, it is a good idea to accept. However, if you are unsure, talk to your GP.
Dr Sarah Brewer, Prima (May 12)

Although I'm trying to stay positive while I’m going through cancer treatment, sudden bursts of pain that stop me in my tracks are really getting me down. What can I do?

It sounds as if you have breakthrough cancer pain – flare-ups that can be triggered by movement or treatment, or occur for no obvious reason. This pain is different from the background cancer pain that’s experienced by 77% of patients, which can usually be controlled with regular medication. Breakthrough episodes often last for only half an hour or so, but can be very debilitating. Sometimes you won’t need painkillers at all – simply rubbing or massaging the painful area, applying a hot or cold pack, or relaxation techniques, can help. Keeping a pain diary can help your doctor calculate which medications would work best for you, as the options vary depending on the source of your pain. A new website called www.pain-speak.com aims to help cancer sufferers understand more about pain and how they can get the help they need.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, Good Housekeeping (Apr 12)
See all of our advice on coping with pain

My husband is forever getting up in the night to go to the loo. He’s 55, and won’t visit the doctor as he’s terrified of being told he’s got prostate cancer.

While this is the most common male cancer, you can reassure your husband that most men are diagnosed at a much older age – between 70 and 74. Survival rates are also improving. Twenty years ago, fewer than two-thirds of men were alive five years after diagnosis – now it’s nearly 80%. Your husband may well have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which gets more common with age and affects about 2 million men in the UK. Other symptoms include urgent visits to the loo, a poor stream and dribbling towards the end. However, he should be checked for other causes, such as urine infections and diabetes. His GP may offer a blood test called Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). It can detect cancer early but the false positive rate is high – two-thirds of men with a raised PSA don’t have prostate cancer, and will need further tests to check.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, Good Housekeeping (Jan 12)

I’ve lost a close friend to bowel cancer and know to look out for warning signs such as loss of appetite, bleeding from the bottom or a change in bowel habits. But by the time my friend was diagnosed the cancer had spread – is any kind of screening available?

The bad news is that bowel cancer kills over 16,000 people a year in the UK – and is the second commonest cause of cancer death. The good news is that picking it up early hugely improves survival rates. In the past five years, a national two-yearly screening programme for 60 to 69-year-olds, using a home-testing kit to detect blood in your stools, has been rolled out by the NHS. If you’re over 70 (or aged between 50 and 74 in Scotland), you can request a test by phoning 0800 707 6060 – worth doing, as regular screening reduces death rates by 16%. And in April 2011, an extra test was launched on the NHS that involves examining the back passage with a small telescope. All men and women in England aged 55 to 59 will be invited for screening within the next few years. The test takes a few minutes and shows promising results.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, Good Housekeeping (Aug 11)

I’ve heard that aluminium and parabens, used in antiperspirants, may cause breast cancer. Should I avoid these?

There has only been indirect evidence of a link between the use of underarm products and risk of breast cancer. Similar links are also found with consumption of animal fat, national income and alcohol intakes, but these may be indicators of wealth and lifestyle. Breast specialists suggest that use of underarm products is unlikely to have any major impact on breast cancer. When going for a mammogram you may be asked not to use underarm products containing aluminium that morning, but this is only because they might obscure the results. According to Cancer Research UK (www.cancerresearchuk.org), the results of 19 studies show no link between parabens or aluminium salts and breast cancer. A study of 1500 women found no difference in the incidence of breast cancer whether the women used deodorant or antiperspirant or not. So it’s down to personal choice – some people choose to avoid synthetic underarm products, some select ‘natural’ organic products, and others prefer to go bare. Dr Sarah Brewer, Prima (Jul 11)

I have been a sun worshipper for years, and have just been diagnosed with basal cell cancer. My doctor seems amazingly blasé about it considering it’s cancer. Should I get a second opinion?

Fortunately you have one of the two ‘non melanoma’ skin cancers, which account for about 90% of cases of skin cancers but only 10% of skin cancer deaths. Basal cell cancer, or BCC, is sometimes known as a ‘rodent ulcer’ – it gradually increases in size if not treated, eating away at the skin, but it virtually never spreads to other parts of the body. That means the outlook in terms of a complete cure is extremely good. Most BCCs are simply treated by cutting them out and regular surveillance, without any need for chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, you are at risk of getting other skin cancers in the future. You need to make really studious efforts to keep your sun exposure to a minimum for the rest of your life to avoid future problems elsewhere. That means not just covering up with hats and long-sleeved clothes, but wearing a 50 SPF sunscreen on any parts of your body that are exposed to sun.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, Good Housekeeping (Sept 10)

Spotting skin cancer early

My grown-up son spends his life on his mobile phone, and a friend has told me that the radiation can cause brain tumours. He says it's nonsense, but should I be worried?

Many of the health scares that spread like wildfire on the internet are myths, but this story may have some basis in scientific research. We tend to think of scientific studies as providing hard facts, but in this case two analyses of the same studies came to different conclusions. Research found mobile phones do emit a small amount of electromagnetic radiation. The American Food and Drug Administration looked at all the major studies and concluded that even with long-term (over 10 year) use, this doesn't cause any increase in brain tumours. However, a research group in Sweden looked at the same studies - paying particular attention to long-term users - and begs to differ. They found a link with two particular tumours - a benign tumour on the nerve linking the brain and the ear, and a kind of brain cancer called glioma. If your son still isn't convinced, give yourself some peace of mind by buying him a headset to keep the antenna further from his brain.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, Good Housekeeping (Mar 10)