Cancer Myths And The Truths Behind Them

Cancer Myths And The Truths Behind Them

Popular Myths And Misconceptions About Cancer- Explained

When it comes to cancer, many myths get passed around by well-meaning friends and family members. Those myths often end up causing more stress for patients than they were already experiencing. 

Some popular beliefs about how cancer starts and spreads can seem to make sense, especially when those ideas are rooted in old, previously accepted theories. But incorrect ideas about cancer can lead to unnecessary worry and even stop good prevention and treatment choices.

There are so many unproven stories and myths about this disease that it can be very hard to sort out the facts from the fiction. 

Just doing a swift search for cancer on Google brings up not only a bounty of credible information about the disease and its treatment but also a number of pages covering common myths and misconceptions. So how do we know what’s accurate when some of these myths can sound perfectly logical?

Take a look at some common mistakes about cancer and the truth behind these myths.

Biopsy Can Help Cancer To Spread?

“There’s absolutely no evidence that doing a biopsy or removing cancer will make it spread,” said Dr. Shyamali Singhal, surgical oncologist and founder of H&B.

When a tumor needs to be removed or tested, the process will not cause cancer to grow. However, having it removed or tested is an important part of the treatment process.

There’s No Need For Surgery If The Tumor Is Solid?

“Surgery is always needed, if possible, with these solid tumors,” Dr. Shyamali says.

Even if other forms of treatment are used to shrink solid tumors or lower the chances of the cancer returning, surgery is used to remove them.

Eating Sugar Will Make Cancer Worse?

No. Although research has shown that cancer cells consume more sugar than normal cells, no studies have shown that eating sugar will make your cancer worse or that, if you stop eating sugar, your cancer will shrink or disappear. However, a high-sugar diet may contribute to excess weight gain, and obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing several types of cancer.

Artificial Sweeteners Can Be The Cause Of Cancer?

This is not true, actually. Researchers have conducted studies on the safety of artificial sweeteners saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, and neotame, and found no evidence that they cause cancer in humans. All of these artificial sweeteners except for cyclamate have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sale in the United States.

Radiation From Mobile Phones Causes Cancer?

Many electronic and communications devices produce non-ionizing radiation, which isn’t powerful enough to damage DNA and is unlikely to cause cancer.

Superfoods Will Prevent Cancer?

Some foods like blueberries, beetroot, broccoli, garlic, and green tea are known as cancer-preventing superfoods. These foods are certainly good for your health and are known to have positive effects in the fight against cancer, eg. containing antioxidants or serving to remove toxic elements in the body. Nevertheless, it would be naive to look at any special food as a protection against cancer. Everybody is complex and cancer reacts differently in every person. There is no single food or food group that can present adequate protection against cancer.

It’s Impossible To Get Cancer Without A Family History Of Cancer?

Only 5% to 10% of cancers are passed down from parents to children. The bulk of cancer cases are induced by genetic changes that occur throughout a person’s lifetime. These alterations, or mutations, are usually onset by lifestyle choices, such as abusing tobacco, not wearing sunscreen, or maintaining an unhealthy weight. Exposure to certain chemicals in our workplaces and homes can also induce mutations. Nevertheless, sometimes there is no clear reason why these changes happen.

A single mutation is unlikely to cause cancer by itself. However, these mutations build up throughout our lifetime. That is one reason why more than 60% of cancers in the United States occur in people who are 65 and older.

Chemotherapy Always Has Unavoidable Bad Side Effects?

While terrible side effects were frequent when chemotherapy was first introduced, medical progress in recent decades has helped to reduce the risk of harmful effects.

“Today, there are a lot of good things that we do to decrease or even eradicate a lot of these side effects,” Dr. Shyamali says.

Misconceptions About Cancer Can Cause Unnecessary Worries

There is a lot of information about cancer available, but some of it is misleading or wrong. Myths and misconceptions about cancer can cause additional worries about your health. The wrong information may even affect the way one responds or reacts to a diagnosis of this disease. Here are the facts behind some of the most prevalent cancer myths and misconceptions. Your health care team is also a good resource if you have any questions about the correctness of anything you hear or read.