Cancer myths and facts
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Cancer Myth 10: What someone does as a
young adult has little impact on their chances of
getting cancer later in life.
 Respondents Who Agreed: 25 percent
 Origin of Myth: Many teens and young adults
have a feeling of immortality — that bad things
only happen to other people. Each teen who
tries smoking cigarettes, for example, is
convinced that he or she won't become addicted
and can quit at any time. They think that it's only
the other kids or adults who become addicted to
nicotine for years, not them.
Myth 10 (continued)
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Reality: The truth is that lifestyle choices made as a
young adult do increase your risk of developing cancer,
particularly the use of tobacco, but also your diet, the
amount of physical activity you get, and your exposure to
the sun. About one-quarter of those surveyed seem to
be denying this reality — they agreed with the myth that
a person's early lifestyle choices have little impact on
their chances of getting cancer later in life.
Most cases of cancer are the consequence of many
years of exposure to several risk factors. What you eat,
whether you are physically active, whether you get
sunburned regularly, and especially, whether you smoke
as a young person have a substantial influence on
whether you develop cancer later in life.
More than two-thirds of all fatal cancer cases can
be prevented with simple lifestyle changes:
 Eating
lots of fruit, vegetables and whole
grains
 Exercising
 Maintaining a healthy body weight
 Using protection against the sun
 And especially, not smoking
Tobacco and Teens: Making the Right
Choice
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The decisions young people make about using tobacco
will have the most profound impact on their chances of
developing cancer later in life. Smoking causes 30
percent of all cancer deaths and about 440,000
premature deaths annually.
About 90 percent of the time kids try tobacco for the first
time before finishing high school, and the highly
addictive qualities of nicotine keep them smoking for
decades. But if people can get through their teen years
without smoking or chewing tobacco, they most likely will
never start.
Research also shows the younger you begin to smoke,
the more likely you are to be an adult smoker. People
who begin to smoke at an earlier age are more likely to
develop long-term nicotine addiction than those who
start their habit later.
What You Do As a Teen Can Come Back
to Haunt You
 Whether
it is smoking cigarettes or not
using protection against the sun, habits
developed as a teen can lead to cancer as
an adult. The effects of these harmful
habits don't disappear as years pass, but
can be diminished by living a healthy life
as you grow older.
Cancer Myth 9: There is currently a cure
for cancer, but the medical industry won't
tell the public about it because they
make too much money treating cancer
patients.
 Respondents
Who Agreed: 28 percent
 Origin of Myth: Urban Legend
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Reality: One overarching fact that clearly
disputes this conspiracy theory is that doctors
and laboratory scientists along with their families
die of cancer at the same rate as everyone else
in the United States. There is one exception,
though. Health-care professionals and
biomedical researchers are less likely to develop
and/or die of lung, larynx, esophageal and other
tobacco-related cancers because they are more
aware of the dangers of tobacco and are less
likely to smoke than the rest of the population.
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And why would anyone hide a cure for cancer? Medical
breakthroughs of all kinds are quickly announced and
applied — as the world has seen with antibiotics and
vaccines, such as the polio vaccine.
 Also, finding one all-encompassing cure for cancer is
unlikely. Cancer comes in many different forms, and for
several of them, there are already cures available for the
majority of patients.
 Only a few decades ago, less than one in 10 children
with leukemia survived 10 years after diagnosis. With
modern chemotherapy, the cure rate for these children is
almost 80 percent. Examples of similar progress include
Hodgkin's lymphoma, bone and kidney cancers in
children, and testicular cancer.
Cancer Myth 8: Electronic devices, like cell
phones, can cause cancer in the people who
use them.
 Respondents
Who Agreed: 30 percent
 Origin of Myth: Lawsuits and news
headlines have fueled the myth that cell
phones cause cancer, particularly brain
cancer, and 30 percent of Americans still
believe this myth, according to the
Discovery Health/Prevention telephone
survey.
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Reality: A few studies suggested a link with
certain rare types of brain tumors, but the
consensus among well-designed population
studies is that there is no consistent association
between cell phone use and brain cancer.
 Consumers could easily have missed the reports
showing no danger from cell phones because
they didn't receive alarming front-page coverage
like the original reports. What has been proven
is that using a cell phone while driving increases
the risk of having a car accident. So, keeping
your hands free and your eyes on the road is a
more significant issue for people who use cell
phones.
Cancer Myth 7: Some injuries can
cause cancer later in life.
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Respondents Who Agreed: 37 percent
 Origin of Myth: This is probably an outdated
belief that dates at least back to the 1800s. From
that time until the 1920s even some scientists
thought cancer was caused by trauma. The
belief lived on despite the failure of inducing
cancer through trauma in experimental animals,
and was perpetuated by the reasonably
common experience of people discovering a
tumor shortly after an injury.
 Reality:
The fact is that a fall, a bruise or
any other injury is almost never the cause
of a cancer. Sometimes a person might
visit the doctor for an injury and a tumor is
found at that time. But the injury did not
cause the tumor; it was already there. It's
also common for people to pay more
attention to an injured part of their body,
and some people discover tumors while
rubbing a painful area.
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In very rare cases, long-standing and/or severe
injuries can increase cancer risk, but these
account for a small fraction of cancer cases. For
example, skin cancer risk is somewhat
increased in scars caused by thermal or
chemical burns, and chemical burns caused by
swallowing caustic liquids are a risk factor for
cancer of the esophagus. Such rare exceptions
may have given credibility to this myth.
 Long-standing infections, however, such as
certain forms of hepatitis or the bacteria that
contribute to stomach ulcers, lead to more
cancers than injuries do.
Cancer Myth 6: Living in a polluted city is a
greater risk for lung cancer than smoking a
pack of cigarettes a day.
 Respondents
Who Agreed: 40 percent
 Origin of Myth: Unknown. This myth
appeals to smokers, who are trying to
convince themselves that tobacco use isn't
all that bad.
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Reality: The truth is just the opposite, but more
than a third of those questioned in the Discovery
Health/Prevention survey agreed with the myth
that living in a polluted city is a greater risk for
lung cancer than smoking a pack of cigarettes a
day.
 Air pollution is far less likely to cause lung
cancer than smoking cigarettes. Being a smoker,
or even being frequently exposed to
secondhand smoke is more dangerous than the
level of air pollution encountered in U.S. cities
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Dirty air does contribute to lung cancer risk, but
has a greater impact on heart disease, asthma
and chronic bronchitis. American Cancer Society
(ACS) vice president of epidemiology and
surveillance Michael Thun, M.D., estimates that
air pollution increases the risk of lung cancer by
1/100th of the increased risk brought on by
smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
 Most people tend to overestimate the risk
caused by factors imposed on them by others
and to underestimate the seriousness of risks
caused by their own behavior.
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Lung cancer was a rare disease at the beginning of the
20th century, when few people smoked. The introduction
of manufactured cigarettes, which made them readily
available, changed this. About 87 percent of lung
cancers are thought to result from smoking or passive
exposure to tobacco smoke. Today, lung cancer is the
leading cause of cancer death in men and women —
expected to cause 157,200 deaths in 2003. The longer
you smoke and the more packs per day you smoke, the
greater your risk.
If you stop smoking before a cancer develops, your
damaged lung tissue gradually starts to return to normal.
Ten years after stopping smoking, your risk is reduced to
one-third of what it would have been if you continued to
smoke. Cigar smoking and pipe smoking are almost as
likely to cause lung cancer as cigarette smoking. There
is no evidence that smoking low tar cigarettes reduces
the risk of lung cancer.
Secondhand Smoke
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If you don't smoke, but breathe in the smoke of
others (secondhand smoke or environmental
tobacco smoke) you are also at increased risk
for lung cancer. A nonsmoker who is married to
a smoker has a 30 percent greater risk of
developing lung cancer than the spouse of a
nonsmoker. Workers who have been exposed to
tobacco smoke in the workplace are also more
likely to get lung cancer.
Cancer Myth 5: Treating cancer with
surgery causes it to spread throughout the
body.
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Respondents Who Agreed: 41 percent
Origin of Myth: This myth may have started
many years ago when most patients already had
very advanced cancers by the time they sought
medical care. Doctors may have operated to find
the cause of a patient's illness and found an
advanced cancer that could not be treated
successfully. When the patient died a short time
later, observers thought the surgery caused the
cells to spread and killed the patient.
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Reality: Specialists in cancer surgery know how
to safely take biopsy samples and to remove
tumors without causing spread of the cancer. In
many cases, surgery is an essential part of the
cancer treatment plan.
 For a few types of cancer, surgeons take extra
precautions to prevent any chance of the cancer
spreading. For example, in testicular cancer the
entire testicle containing the cancer is removed,
so no cancer cells are dislodged. Doctors who
perform surgery for cancer are specialists and
are highly trained in the intricacies of cancer and
anatomy.
Cancer Myth 4: Household bug
spray can cause cancer.
 Respondents
Who Agreed: 41 percent
 Origin of Myth: Frequent news reports
about studies in which the chemicals
found in bug sprays cause cancer in mice.
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Reality: Available evidence does not suggest a link
between household use of pesticides (bug spray) and
cancer. On the other hand, these products can be
dangerous if precautions regarding breathing and direct
contact are not followed. Careful use of pesticides is
especially important for agricultural workers, who may be
exposed at much higher levels than people who
occasionally spray a bug in their home or garden.
When animal studies are reported in the news, people
often get the false impression that the pesticide (or other
chemical) discussed is a clear and present danger to
humans in their daily activities. In reality, researchers
use very high doses of a chemical in animal tests —
exposures that people would never encounter. If
consumers come in contact with a pesticide, it's at a very
low concentration. These exposures have not been
associated with increased cancer risk.
When Fear Hides the Facts About Cancer
 If
people become so worried about
pesticides that they avoid eating
vegetables and fruit, they may be doing
more harm than good. Even though fruits
and vegetables sold in groceries may
contain trace amounts of pesticides,
people who eat more fruits and vegetables
clearly have lower cancer risks than
people who eat few fruits and vegetables.
Cancer Myth 3: You can prevent skin
cancer by putting on one application of
sunscreen at the start of each day.
 Respondents
Who Agreed: 43 percent
 Origin of Myth: Poor understanding of
directions for sunscreen use.
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Reality: The use of sunscreen on a daily basis is a good
practice for reducing skin cancer risk. The problem with it
is that it can sometimes give a false sense of security.
Sunscreen needs to be reapplied, and even then it still
only confers a certain amount of protection.
Mistakes in sunscreen use are common and may
indicate that people don't understand the importance of
protecting themselves from skin cancer. Visible
symptoms of skin cancer don't show up for many years,
and not long ago a tan was considered healthy. A
sunburn will fade in a few days — out of sight, out of
mind. The problem is what people don't see can hurt
them. Sun damage remains in deeper layers of skin. It's
cumulative and can eventually cause cancer.
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More than 1 million cases of the curable basal
cell or squamous cell cancers will be diagnosed
this year. The most serious skin cancer,
melanoma, is expected to be diagnosed in about
54,200 people in 2003.
 Dermatologist Mark Jaffee, M.D., tells people,
"Skin cancer develops slowly over time. Almost
picture it as a photograph developing. The
damage is done, the exposure's been done, and
we're just waiting years and years for that
damage to show itself on the surface of the
skin."
How to Shield Your Skin
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To insure your skin is safe from UV rays, make sun protection a
daily habit and a part of the ritual of going to the pool, beach or park.
Keep hats, long-sleeved shirts, sunscreen and other supplies near
the door in a small duffel bag or in your car. Review the five
protective methods listed below, and try to expand beyond only
using sunscreen.
Cover up. Choose shirts and pants to protect as much skin as
possible.
Use sunscreen. Choose a sunscreen with a sun protection factor
(SPF) of 15 or higher.
Wear a hat. Choose a hat that shades the face, neck and ears.
Wear sunglasses. Protect your eyes with sunglasses that block UV
rays.
Limit sun exposure. Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4
p.m., when UV rays are strongest.
Avoid Sunscreen Mistakes
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For people with fair skin who can begin to burn in 15 minutes of
bright sunlight, using sunscreen every day is important, and it should
be reapplied according to the directions on the bottle. Many
companies recommend another coat of sunscreen every two hours.
For maximum effect, generously apply sunscreen 20 to 30 minutes
before going outside. About a palm-full of sunscreen should be used
to cover the arms, legs, neck and face of the average adult.
If swimming or perspiring, you will probably need to reapply
sunscreen more often than usual. Remember that sunscreen usually
rubs off when you towel yourself dry.
Products labeled "waterproof" provide protection for at least 80
minutes even when swimming or sweating. Products that are "water
resistant" may provide protection for only 40 minutes. Most
sunscreen products expire within two to three years, but you should
check the expiration date on the container for the date it becomes
ineffective.
Cancer Myth 2: Regularly eating meat
cooked on a charcoal grill won't increase
cancer risk.
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Respondents Who Agreed: 56 percent
 Origin of Myth: Nutrition advice in the media
has been contradictory about the health effects
of grilled meats. Compared with frying in oil,
grilling or baking meats avoids adding extra fat
and associated calories to the meal. But
chemists have found grilling meats creates
chemicals linked to cancer in animals.
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Reality: You can increase your cancer risk by
eating too much grilled red meat or chicken or
even meat pan-fried at a very high temperature.
Meat or chicken that is well-done or burnt
appears to be the most problematic.
 Based on the existing research, the best
approach may be to enjoy grilled meats
occasionally, but not on a regular basis. This is a
judgment call, but it makes sense to limit your
exposure to carcinogens (chemicals linked to
cancer), which are found in these grilled meats.
 The
worrisome chemicals created by
grilling meats are called heterocyclic
amines (HAs). They form during grilling,
broiling or even searing meat in a very hot
frying pan — when the very high
temperatures break down the amino acid
creatinine. There is also some concern
that fats from the meat dripping onto coals
create additional chemicals in smoke that
may land back on the meat.
When you do grill or broil meat, you can
minimize your consumption of
unhealthful chemicals in a few ways:
 Don't
eat blackened or burnt parts.
 Precook meats in the oven or microwave,
and then finish on the grill for just a few
minutes.
 Substitute grilled vegetables or fruits for
part of the meat in your meal.
 Eat smaller portions of grilled meats.
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Many of the chemicals created when meat is grilled are
not formed during the grilling of vegetables or fruits, so
people can enjoy grilled flavor without unhealthful
chemicals. Fruits and vegetables that work well on the
grill include onions, green and red bell peppers, zucchini,
broccoli, carrots, potatoes, pineapple, papaya or mango.
Skewers that alternate small bites of meat with
vegetables or fruit are an easy way to maximize flavor
and minimize unhealthful chemicals. Don't substitute
processed (luncheon) meats for grilled meat, though.
Processed meats contain different kinds of carcinogens
that may be even more harmful.
What you eat is even more important than how it's
cooked. The best advice is to follow a diet in which foods
from plant sources predominate.
Cancer Myth 1: The risk of dying from
cancer in the United States is increasing.
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Respondents Who Agreed: 68 percent
Origin of Myth: Many people believe that their risk for
cancer is growing because cancer figures are sometimes
reported out of context. The actual number of people
who are diagnosed and who die of cancer each year has
indeed grown — because the U.S. population is growing
larger, and is aging. Cancer is more common among the
elderly, so more cases are to be expected as the
average age of the U.S. population increases. A closer
look at the numbers by age group shows the cancer risk
for Americans is actually dropping.
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Reality: The risk of being diagnosed with cancer and the
risk of dying of cancer have decreased since the early
1990s. Fewer than half the people diagnosed with
cancer today will die of the disease. Some are
completely cured, and many more people survive for
years with a good quality of life, thanks to treatments that
control many types of cancer.
Cancer is not one disease, but many different diseases
with different causes. For that reason one breakthrough
"cure for cancer" is probably not likely to come along.
There probably won't be one date in history when people
remember that the cure for cancer was announced —
just as infectious diseases weren't conquered on one
particular day. Instead, every year will bring more and
more cures for more and more types of cancer