| # | Myth | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cancer is Contagious. | Some people worry that if they have physical contact with someone who has cancer, they could catch it too. This is not true. |
| 2 | Cancer is a genetic problem | Although having a family history of cancer increases your risk of developing the disease, it is not a complete prediction of your future health. If you have inherited certain cancer genes that put you at high risk for cancer, your doctor may recommend surgery or medications to reduce the chance that cancer will develop. |
| 3 | Eating sugar increases the risk of Sugar | There is no conclusive evidence that proves eating sugar will make cancer grow and spread more quickly. All cells in the body, both healthy cells and cancer cells, depend on sugar to grow and function. However, there is no proof that eating sugar will speed up the growth of cancer or that cutting out sugar completely will slow down its growth. |
| 4 | There is no effective treatment for cancer | Cancer treatment greatly reduces the risk of cancer spreading, prolongs survival, and in many cases causes all signs and symptoms of the cancer to disappear. |
| 5 | A cancer diagnosis will always lead to death | Factors such as the type of cancer, how early it was diagnosed, and access to treatment, as well as a person’s age, fitness and medical history all affect how a person responds to treatment. |
| 6 | Surgery causes cancer to spread throughout the body | Specialist surgeons know how to take biopsy samples safely and to remove tumours without causing cancer to spread. The surgeon may remove some healthy tissue around the cancer to ensure that all of the detectable cancer is removed. For a few types of cancer, surgeons take extra precautions to prevent any chance of it spreading. |
| 7 | Radiation therapy makes you radioactive | External beam radiation therapy does not make people radioactive. This is because the radiation does not stay in the body during or after treatment. It is safe for people to be with co-workers, clients, children and pregnant women. Implants used in internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy) may cause some people to be radioactive for a short time, depending on whether their implants are temporary or permanent. People should be guided by their doctors about any precautions to take in the workplace. |
| 8 | People with cancer are too ill to work | Although some people are unable to work due to side effects from cancer treatment, improvements to treatments mean that people are often able to continue working during treatment with the assistance of their employer |
| 9 | Thinking positively can cure cancer | There is little evidence to link a positive attitude with curing cancer. Cancer is not caused by negative thoughts, and treatment can be stressful and tiring. There is no right way to feel – experiencing a range of emotions is normal and everyone will cope differently |
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