ABSTRACT

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer among women. The individual cause of the disease is not known, but various hormonal, environmental and genetic factors can increase the risk of developing the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the use of antiperspirants containing aluminum and breast cancer in patients referred to the selected hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2013.

Methods: This study was a descriptive correlational study and in order to achieve the goal of the study, 274 women with cancer referred to selected hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were selected along with a group of 200 healthy individuals (as control group). Data collection tools, a questionnaire prepared by the researcher had two parts: the first part of the questionnaire, demographic information and the second part related to antiperspirants and how to use them, and all participants completed the two sections. SPSS 23 software was used for statistical analysis.

Results: There was no relationship between the age of people using antiperspirants and the prevalence of breast cancer (P = 0.467). Also there was no relationship between the use of antiperspirants (P= 0.433), the type of antiperspirant used (P = 0.966), the use of specific antiperspirants (P = 0.361), the duration of use of specific antiperspirants (P = 0.427), the place of use of antiperspirants (P = 0.768), the use of antiperspirants after underarm hair removal (P = 0.287) and the prevalence of breast cancer.

Conclusion: There is no significant statistical difference between the use of antiperspirants containing aluminum in women in the control and the experimental group (P = 0/823). Therefore, there is no relationship between the use of antiperspirants containing aluminum and breast cancer.