The Many Myths of Cancer

I was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center back in June of 2012. When this happened, my hematologist went into great detail about what leukemia was and what I could expect from going through chemotherapy. In fact, throughout the whole process of chemotherapy, my bone-marrow transplant, and graft-vs-host disease, I was given information. I was encouraged to read up on cancer, join support groups, and to ask all the questions I wanted. As I found out, there were a lot of misconceptions and myths out there about cancer and cancer treatment.

Just a casual Google search on cancer myths and misconceptions will turn up over a million hits. After scouring a bunch of these pages there are several myths that seem to be the most prevalent.

These include: is cancer hereditary? (Answer: Not necessarily. Only 3-10% of cancers can be passed through parents). Other myths include: Does sugar make cancer worse? (Answer: No.), do the chemicals in deodorant cause cancer? (Also a no.), and are there herbal medicines that cure cancer? (No. There is evidence that some alternative therapies can help deal with cancer treatment symptoms, but they can’t fight cancer.)

Here are just a few pages I found that deal with cancer myths from the National Cancer Institute, Cancer.Net, and Medical News Today.

A Positive Attitude?

One of the myths that was repeated to me the most, is that it was “clinically proven” that having a positive attitude can help you beat cancer. It seemed farfetched to me. How can you clinically prove that a positive attitude can beat something so complicated as cancer? So, I looked it up. I even asked my doctor, and as it turns out there is no proof that having a positive attitude can help beat cancer.

That doesn’t mean a positive attitude is useless. In my personal experience, doing your best to stay positive can help in your overall quality of life. I also don’t think it helps to try to pressure patients and families into always being positive. After all, it is  natural to feel sad and depressed when dealing with cancer.

As it turns out, there are few subjects more misunderstood by the public than cancer. Considering there are more than 200 types of cancer, that it is incredibly complicated, and scientists are still figuring it all out, it’s no surprise there is so much misinformation.

Podcasts and Advocacy Sites

One of my favorite podcasts is called Cancer Mythbusters and it is produced by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where I was treated for ALL. One of my favorite episodes explores the idea of cancer being a personal battle which is a concept I will delve into in the next few weeks. The episodes are straightforward, always involve someone directly involved with treating or researching a different type of cancer, and are relatively short (episodes are usually at or just under 20 minutes and get straight to the point), which is always important when dealing with these topics, especially for those of us who are dealing with the after-effects of chemotherapy.

If you’re wondering where to go for reliable information on the web, here is an informative piece from the MD Anderson Center in Houston, Texas, (currently rated the best cancer treatment center in the country by US News and World Report), about how to do just that. 

In addition, there are many advocacy and educational organizations dedicated to helping patients and families get accurate information such as the American Cancer Society, Cancer.Net, and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

We are also pretty lucky in this country to be blessed with a number of world-class cancer treatment centers that have websites that are just jam-packed with information. Some of these treatment centers include Dana-Farber, Memorial Sloan Kettering, the Mayo Clinic, UCLA, and the Cleveland Clinic.

In fact, any treatment center ranked as top-tier by US News and World Report will have comprehensive information on their websites as well as lists of resources for patients and families.

Don’t Forget About Advoates

My doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals were compassionate and knowledgeable. They offered me useful information and encouraged me to ask questions galore. But, maybe not every patient has that experience. So, if you feel your doctor is not being transparent about treatment or treatment options, you can always turn to patient advocates for assistance.