Myth- Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women
    in the Unites States.
 Fact- Heart disease and stroke are the leading killer of American
    women. Heart disease takes almost twice the number of american
    woman each year than all cancers combined, including breast cancer.

Myth- Only women with risk factors will develop breast cancer.
Fact- 80% of women that do develop breast cancer have no identifiable
    risk factors.

Myth- Women with small breasts won't develop breast cancer.
Fact- All women are at risk for breast cancer.

Myth- There is no benefit to having a mammogram done  before the age
    of 50 and can indeed be harmful.
Fact- Studies show more than 20% of all breast cancers are diagnosed
    in woman under 50.  Studies show routine screenings in woman
    ages 40-50 can reduce death by breath cancer 17%.

Myth- A lump in the breast means cancer.
Fact- Over 80% of all lumps found are benign or harmless. They are
    common among premenopausal women and quiet often come and
    go with menstral cycles but any persistant lump should be examined
    bya doctor.

Myth- If breast cancer is found it automatically means the breast must
    be removed.
Fact- The vast majority of breast cancer found in the early stages
    can be treated with a lumpectomy, radiation and chemotherapy.
    The 5 year survival rate is 97% for breast cancer caught in the
    early stage.

Myth- Coffee increases your chances of developing breast cancer.
Fact- In fact, in rats it has been proven to prevent breast cancer.

Myth- Mammography is 100% accurate in early detection of early
    breast cancer.
 Fact- This is a very important tool for detecting early breast cancer
    however it's not 100% accurate. Any woman with a lump and
    normal mammography still  needs to have the lump checked.

Myth- You don't need regular mammograms if you do monthly self-exams.
Fact- Neither physicals exams or mammograms are adequate alone.

Myth- Mammograms are painful.
Fact- The test itself is not painful although there might be some
    momentary discomfort as the breasts are compressed for the x-ray.

Myth- The radiation exposure is hazardous.
Fact- With todays state of the art equipment radiation levels have
    been significantly reduced.

Myth- Older women have no need to wory about breast cancer.
Fact- Older women are more at risk for breast cancer.

Myth- A diagnosis of breast cancer is an emergency.
Fact- Most breast cancers by the time you can feel the lump have
    been present for 8-10 years and their is plenty of time to get a
    second opinion.

Myth- Mastectomy assures the cancer is gone forever.
Fact- It will remove the breast but not guarantee the cancer will
    not recur.  8-10% of the women will have a recurrance in the
    scar tissue and there is the chance of it metastases.  Lumpectomy
    and radiation are as good as mastectomy in preventing breast
    cancerreturning.

Myth- Diagnosis of breast cancer is a death sentence.
Fact- Most easily breast cancer is cured with proper treatments.

Myth- The denser the breast tissue in young women make it nearly
    impossible to detect tumors by mammograms.
Fact- It's true denser breasts lower sensitivity but still a good way
    to detect small calcifications.

Breast cancer facts:
    In 1997, 180,200 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer for the  first time. An estimated 43,900 women will die from breast cancer in 1997.
    Men develop breast cancer also. Approximately 300 men died from breast cancer in 1994.  In 1997, 1,400 male cases are estimated to be diagnosed and approximately 290 men will die from this.
    With 43,582 deaths in 1991, breast cancer ranks just behind lung cancer as the leading cancer cause of death for women.  It is the leading cause of of cancer death in women 15-34 and 35-54 age groups.
     The death rate for women from breast cancer declined  6.7% between 1973-1991.
     From 1989-1992 the death rate among white women declined 5.5% but increased 2.6% for African American women.
     Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer.  In 1994, 1,721,700 women had been diagnosed with breast cancer which accounts for 39% of all cancer diagnoses for women.
     1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
     Every 3 minutes a woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer and every 12 minutes another woman dies from breast cancer.
    70% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer are over 50.
    EVERY woman is at risk for breast cancer.  The risk increases with age, has a family history of breast cancer, has had no children or her first after age 30 and if she has had prior radiation treatments for Hodgkin's disease.
    Breast cancer can not be prevented but it can be detected at an early stage and treated.
    A mammiograph can detect the presence of breast cancer up to 2 years before the limp can be felt.
    Over 80% of biopsied breast lumps are found to be benign but and lump needs to be examined by a physician.
    If detected early it usually can be treated with a lumpectomy and radiation treatments, sometimes accompanied by chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
    5 year survival rate of early detected breast cancer is over 97%.
    Breat cancer incidence increases with age, sharply after age 40 and nearly 80% of all breast cancer in women are detected after age 50.
    The cause of breast cancer is still unknown.
    More than 1.6 million breast cancer victims are alive in America today.

Special note...... all the facts contained on these pages were taken from various sites around the net which can be located through the links page.
I only claim to quote what I have read and I certainly am no physician.
Please if you have any questions contact your doctor immediately.