Many Believe Cancer Myths

(WebMD)  Pop quiz: Treating cancer with surgery can cause the disease to spread to other parts of the body. True or false?

If you think the statement is true, you're wrong, but you're not alone.

More than half of the people questioned in a recent American Cancer Society survey mistakenly believed that surgery can or might spread cancer. And a significant percentage also believed other common cancer myths.

ACS researchers say the findings point to a need for greater public information efforts that target the poor and undereducated populations who tend to have the most misinformation about cancer.

"Our findings confirm that many people have misconceptions about cancer that may lead them to make choices which are not in the best interests of their health," researcher Ted Gansler, MD, tells WebMD.


Hiding A Cure

The ACS telephone survey included 957 randomly selected adults from across the nation who reported that they had no history of cancer. Among the most common misconceptions identified in the survey:

• 41 percent said they believed surgery could spread cancer, and 13 percent said they didn't know if this was true.
  
  
• 27 percent agreed with the statement: "There is currently a cure for cancer but the medical industry won't tell the public about it because they make too much money treating cancer patients." Fourteen percent believed the statement might be true.

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