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Myths About Cancer Abound, Survey Finds

NEW YORK JUN 27, 2005 (Reuters Health) - Misconceptions about cancer, ranging from the dangers of surgery to conspiracy theories about a cure for cancer, are held by many of the general public, according to a recent survey of adults in the US.

The results, which appear in the June 27th online issue of Cancer, come from a telephone survey of 957 randomly selected adults who reported never having been diagnosed with cancer.

Forty-one percent of subjects believed that surgery could spread a malignancy to other regions of the body, lead author Dr. Ted Gansler, from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues report.

Twenty-seven percent of subjects believed that a cure for cancer already exists, but it is being withheld from the public in order to increase profits.

The third most common cancer myth was that there are no effective medications for cancer pain, endorsed by 19% of respondents.

The last two most prevalent misconceptions, considered true by about 7% of respondents each, were that a positive attitude alone can beat cancer and that there are no effective treatments for cancer.

Respondent characteristics predictive of endorsing these myths included older age, nonwhite ethnicity, Southern residence, and self-reported ignorance about cancer.

"The prevalence of at least three of the five cancer misconceptions was unacceptably high, and varied by several sociodemographic factors," the investigators note. "These beliefs may increase the risk for cancer morbidity and mortality because of poor adherence to treatment regimens."

SOURCE: Cancer 2005

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Sufferers are bombarded with messages on how to beat the disease. But, as Shelley Bovey discovered, there are negatives to the mantra of positive thinking