Local Surgeon Says Bras Don't Cause Breast Cancer

by KYW’s Michelle Durham

A bra designer and manufacturer is calling for medical studies to determine the link between bras and breast cancer. A local breast surgeon says bras are not the reason women get the disease. Family history, history of smoking and being overweight are the reasons.

The manufacturer is pointing to a survey conducted by anthropologist Sydney Ross Singer, who interviewed 4,700 women back in the early 90's and claimed claims 75% of those who wore their bras 24 hours a day developed breast cancer. Dr. Richard Bleicher of Fox Chase Cancer Center:
 
"it's unclear whether or not if the women in this study were representative of women in general. They have 4,700 women. Who were those women? Were they a particular population? Was that population at elevated risk to develop breast cancer in the first place?"
 
Dr. Bleicher says bras do not cause breast cancer. He says he's heard similar arguments about deodorant and they are not true, either:
 
"There was one NIH study which actually looked at women who used antiperspirants and those who don't and those who do were not any more likely to have breast cancer."

Factors that do increase a woman's risk include a family history, smoking and being overweight.