Myths About Cancer
Myth 1: Cancer is a Death Sentence
This article from the NY Times appeared just as I was starting my own treatment and I found it inspirational. Information about new methods of attacking cancer also spread a hopeful message - that a cancer diagnosis doesn't have to be seen as a death sentence.
Myth 2: The Number of People Dying of Cancer is Increasing
You'd be surprised how many people believe this to be true, probably because of scary stories in the media about newly-identified carcinogens. The truth is, as this page by Discovery Health shows, in fact, that the risk of acquiring and the risk of dying from cancer has decreased worldwide since the 1990s.
Myth 3: Regularly Eating Grilled Meats Increases Your Risk of Getting Cancer
The Straight Dope takes this myth head-on in the above link, showing that while some carcinogens are present on grilled meats, the consumption of grilled meat has not been proven to lead to a greater risk of developing cancer.
Myth 4: Sunscreen Will Protect Me From Skin Cancer
Sunscreen isn't always enough to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. Applying sunscreen often (meaning more than once a day), avoiding over-exposure to the sun, and avoiding things like tanning beds are all a part of a healthy anti-skin cancer program. This page from the Skin Cancer Foundation covers the proper application of sunscreen and other ways to avoid skin cancer.
Myth 5: Air Pollution Causes Cancer as Much as Smoking
The American Cancer Society estimates that air pollution represents about 1% of the danger of smoking in terms of a person's likelihood to develop cancer. Cancer Research UK, who produced the site in the link above, offers facts about air pollution as a carcinogen.
Myth 6: Cancer Can Be Brought On by Trauma
The Canadian Medical Association Journal article in the link above comes from 1932, a time when scientists were just beginning to question this age-old myth that many people still believe. The conclusions drawn then, that there is no clear link between any trauma and the development of cancer, is now the standard medical opinion.
Myth 7: Cell Phones Cause Cancer
It's easy to imagine how this myth began - after all, we hold cell phones right up to our ears, near our brains and other vulnerable organs. The Salon.com breakdown in this link explains every angle of the current understanding of the impact of cell phones on the human body, and the author is ultimately unable to say that cell phones are a cancer risk. The best science on the subject agrees.
Myth 8: The Pharmaceutical Industry is Covering Up a Cancer Cure to Protect Profits
Conspiracy theories on this theme seem limitless; the myth that drug makers are trying to hide some cancer cure-all requires a really grim world-view. This article from the NY Review of Books takes a long look at the truth behind these urban myths. With all the hard work these companies are doing producing cancer treatments, I'm particularly offended by this myth.
Myth 9: Aspartame Causes Cancer
This is another widely-held belief that, unfortunately, has a basis in bad science. Ever since aspartame was approved by the FDA for use in things we eat and drink, studies based on bad scientific or mathematical analyses have reported a correlation between the sugar substitute and cancer. The study in this link is one in a string of studies that prove that aspartame doesn't contribute to a cancer diagnosis.
Myth 10: Deodorant Causes Breast Cancer
Circulated via email, the idea that deodorant causes breast cancer is similar to the notion that cell phones cause brain cancer. Just because an item comes close to a body part doesn't mean you'll somehow "get cancer." Both the National Cancer Institue and the FDA say that there is no truth to this rumor.
This article from the NY Times appeared just as I was starting my own treatment and I found it inspirational. Information about new methods of attacking cancer also spread a hopeful message - that a cancer diagnosis doesn't have to be seen as a death sentence.
Myth 2: The Number of People Dying of Cancer is Increasing
You'd be surprised how many people believe this to be true, probably because of scary stories in the media about newly-identified carcinogens. The truth is, as this page by Discovery Health shows, in fact, that the risk of acquiring and the risk of dying from cancer has decreased worldwide since the 1990s.
Myth 3: Regularly Eating Grilled Meats Increases Your Risk of Getting Cancer
The Straight Dope takes this myth head-on in the above link, showing that while some carcinogens are present on grilled meats, the consumption of grilled meat has not been proven to lead to a greater risk of developing cancer.
Myth 4: Sunscreen Will Protect Me From Skin Cancer
Sunscreen isn't always enough to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. Applying sunscreen often (meaning more than once a day), avoiding over-exposure to the sun, and avoiding things like tanning beds are all a part of a healthy anti-skin cancer program. This page from the Skin Cancer Foundation covers the proper application of sunscreen and other ways to avoid skin cancer.
Myth 5: Air Pollution Causes Cancer as Much as Smoking
The American Cancer Society estimates that air pollution represents about 1% of the danger of smoking in terms of a person's likelihood to develop cancer. Cancer Research UK, who produced the site in the link above, offers facts about air pollution as a carcinogen.
Myth 6: Cancer Can Be Brought On by Trauma
The Canadian Medical Association Journal article in the link above comes from 1932, a time when scientists were just beginning to question this age-old myth that many people still believe. The conclusions drawn then, that there is no clear link between any trauma and the development of cancer, is now the standard medical opinion.
Myth 7: Cell Phones Cause Cancer
It's easy to imagine how this myth began - after all, we hold cell phones right up to our ears, near our brains and other vulnerable organs. The Salon.com breakdown in this link explains every angle of the current understanding of the impact of cell phones on the human body, and the author is ultimately unable to say that cell phones are a cancer risk. The best science on the subject agrees.
Myth 8: The Pharmaceutical Industry is Covering Up a Cancer Cure to Protect Profits
Conspiracy theories on this theme seem limitless; the myth that drug makers are trying to hide some cancer cure-all requires a really grim world-view. This article from the NY Review of Books takes a long look at the truth behind these urban myths. With all the hard work these companies are doing producing cancer treatments, I'm particularly offended by this myth.
Myth 9: Aspartame Causes Cancer
This is another widely-held belief that, unfortunately, has a basis in bad science. Ever since aspartame was approved by the FDA for use in things we eat and drink, studies based on bad scientific or mathematical analyses have reported a correlation between the sugar substitute and cancer. The study in this link is one in a string of studies that prove that aspartame doesn't contribute to a cancer diagnosis.
Myth 10: Deodorant Causes Breast Cancer
Circulated via email, the idea that deodorant causes breast cancer is similar to the notion that cell phones cause brain cancer. Just because an item comes close to a body part doesn't mean you'll somehow "get cancer." Both the National Cancer Institue and the FDA say that there is no truth to this rumor.