The world is filled with false information about cancer. Here is a list of common cancer myths that will help you sort fact from fiction.
MYTH: The chance of dying from cancer is increasing.
TRUTH: It is true that cancer is a leading cause of death in the U.S., but advances in cancer prevention, detection and treatment over the last 15 years have actually led to a decline in cancer death rates. According to the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2009, cancer death rates dropped 19.2 percent among men during 1990-2005 and 11.4 percent among women in the same time period.
MYTH: A base tan reduces cancer risk by protecting the skin from additional burning.
TRUTH: Although evidence shows that tanning with a sunlamp does provide sun protection equivalent to a sun protection factor (SPF) of 4 or lower, there is no safe tan. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from tanning beds before the age of 35 increases the risk for melanoma by 75 percent. It also increase risk for nonmelanoma skin cancers. (Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing)
MYTH: Artificial sweeteners cause cancer.
TRUTH: Research suggests there is no link between cancer and popular artificial sweeteners like saccharin and aspartame. In 1969, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the artificial sweetener cyclamate because research suggested it might cause bladder cancer, but further studies have not found a link. (National Cancer Institute)
MYTH: Fluoride in drinking water causes cancer.
TRUTH: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, studies have produced "no credible evidence" of an association between fluoridated drinking water and an increased risk for cancer.
MYTH: Smoking cigars is a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes.
TRUTH: Like cigarettes, cigars are made of tobacco, which contains dangerous chemicals known to cause cancer (carcinogens). In fact, a large cigar could contain nearly as much tobacco as a pack of cigarettes. Regular cigar smoking greatly increases your risk of many cancers, including lung cancer, oral cancer, esophageal cancer and larynx cancer.
MYTH: Smokeless tobacco products are less dangerous than cigarettes.
TRUTH: Although cigarettes are more lethal, the use of any form of tobacco increases your chance of developing cancer. Carcinogens found in chewing tobacco, snuff or any other type of smokeless tobacco product greatly increase your risk of oral cancer, pancreatic cancer and esophageal cancer.
MYTH: I don’t smoke, my partner does, so I’m at a much lower risk of getting cancer.
TRUTH: When you breathe in secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), you take in many of the same dangerous chemicals that smokers do. Frequent and long-term exposure to secondhand smoke at home, in the car or in the workplace greatly increases your chances of developing many types of cancer.
MYTH: Living in a polluted city puts you at a greater risk of developing lung cancer than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
TRUTH: Smoking cigarettes puts you at a much higher risk of lung cancer than air pollution. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, 87 percent of lung cancers are caused by smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke.
MYTH: Deodorants and antiperspirants increase the risk of breast cancer.
TRUTH: Neither the National Cancer Institute nor the Food and Drug Administration have found any link between the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants and the development of breast cancer. (National Cancer Institute)
MYTH: Cell phones cause cancer.
TRUTH: There are no credible research findings that link cell phones or other electronic devices, such as computer screens, to an increased cause of cancer.
