The American Cancer Society has released its summary of a telephone survey of 1000 Americans in which they were asked whether twelve statements about cancer were true or false; the paper will be published in the September 1st edition of Cancer. The top five responses given as "true" are listed below; the percentage of adults who thought that the statement was true is in parentheses:
1. The risk of dying from cancer in the United States is increasing. (68)
2. Living in a polluted city is a greater risk for lung cancer than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. (40)
3. Some injuries can cause cancer later in life. (37)
4. Electronic devices, like cell phones can cause cancer in the people who use them. (30)
5. What someone does as a young adult has little effect on their chance of getting cancer later in life. (25)
The remaining seven statements were considered to be true by a range of 16% (no. 6: "Long-time smokers cannot reduce their cancer risk by quitting smoking") to the nadir of 6% (nos. 11 and 12 in a tie, respectively: "Underwire bras can cause breast cancer," and "You cannot get skin cancer from using a tanning booth").
What is so unique about this survey is the fact that (as you guessed correctly) all twelve statements are false. The researchers therefore urge the general public to learn the truth about cancer in order to make lifestyle decisions that decrease, rather than increase, the risk of developing cancer.
Of the dozen available, I have chosen the one misconception about cancer that I consider to be the most dangerous to the health of Americans. It is this:
What someone does as a young adult has little effect on their chance of getting cancer later in life.
Getting off to an unhealthy start in life is in my opinion the worst decision any of us could make. Whether it's cigarette smoking ("Hey, look at me! I'm risking death and totally fearless!"), adopting a sedentary lifestyle ("Thank God high school is over - I'm never putting on a pair of gym shorts again"), eating as if Homo sapiens was a hibernating species, avoiding all food items that do not taste like a bacon-double cheeseburger no matter how "healthy" they say it is for us, taking up tanning as a beautification project, or just ignoring the standard screening tests for cancer until it's too late - the lifestyle decisions we make as a teenager and young adult will either come back to reward us or haunt us long before fourscore years have weathered our once cuddly, pristine bodies. Choose wisely.
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Actually, #3 isn't false. I can't believe the authors of this study represent it as false; that's a huge mistake.
As an oncologist, you must know that burns and trauma that produce chronic wounds can progress to what's known as Marjolin's ulcers, which are in reality an aggressive form of squamous cell carcinoma that occurs in areas with chronic inflammation and scarring, the most common cause of which are burns and severe trauma to an area.
Statement #8 is interesting -
8. Personal hygiene products, like shampoo, deodorant and antiperspirants, can cause cancer.
By and large, this is false. However - there is increasing concern about the toxicity of some chemicals used in household and personal products. Nonylphenol ethoxylates, which are used in detergents and shampoos, are surfactants that have been found to be endocrine disruptors. The EPA has decided to phase out their use over the next couple of years. Two other chemicals, dibutyl phthalate and diethyl phthalate, are widely used in nail polish and some perfumes. The dibutyl compound has been shown to be a reproductive toxin.
(Source (from the American Chemical Society): http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2003/sep/science/kb_end…)
Nearly all the ingredients in household and personal products are regarded as completely safe. However, little or no toxicity studies have ever been carried out on these same chemicals, so their true extent of their risks are not known.
So, in the end, one would not be entirely wrong if they answered 'true' to Statement #8.
I have never cared for surveys that included blanket statements such as those in this Am.Cancer.Soc. survey. They are too 'black-and-white', and leave little room for a thoughtful person to give a well-informed response.
The survey even got #2 wrong. Depends on the city, depends on the pollutants. They need to be more specific like "average resident of LA" or something.
#3 - is a sunburn not considered an injury?
The survey even got #2 wrong. Depends on the city, depends on the pollutants. They need to be more specific like "average resident of LA" or something.