Cancer Myths

"You want a story that won't surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won't make you see higher or further or differently."
- Yann Martel, Life of Pi

As soon as the adult family members started asking questions, I prepared myself for a potentially lengthy and unsatisfying discussion. Their mother's cancer would require a surgical procedure followed by radiation therapy. The family was very skeptical. Eye contact was poor.

"Cancer spreads if you let air get to it, right?" demanded one of the daughters. "I've heard that, too," confirmed another. "Our grandmother had surgery and died a few weeks later."

The family was unmoved by my attempted explanations.

"Are you sure?" they wondered aloud. "How do you know?"

There is much we do not know, of course. In the compressed timeline available for treatment planning and patient education, however, one task is to tackle all of the preconceived ideas. Just how common are misconceptions related to cancer?

A survey by the American Cancer Society, the Discovery Channel and Prevention Magazine asked people to agree or disagree with five statements about cancer. Although some were unsure (ranging from 4% to 15%), many people agreed with the following:

• 41% incorrectly agreed with, "Treating cancer with surgery can cause it to spread throughout the body."
• 27% incorrectly agreed with, "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."
• 19% incorrectly agreed with, "Pain medications are not effective in reducing the amount of pain people have from cancer."
• 7% incorrectly agreed with, "All you need to beat cancer is a positive attitude, not treatment."
• 7% incorrectly agreed with, "Cancer is something that cannot be effectively treated."

Only 25% correctly disagreed with all of the statements. People with lower health literacy tended to be older, non-white, living in the South and self-identified as being poorly informed about cancer. (Gansler T, et al. "Sociodemographic determinants of cancer treatment health literacy," Cancer 2005 [August 1]; 104: 653-60.)

One technique that I use to draw out these misperceptions is to ask, "What do you know about your cancer and its treatment?"

I am certain that I usually fail to address many underlying beliefs and concerns. The old wives' tales are hard to shake, and we must make the transformation to a new set of beliefs comfortable in a time of personal crisis.

When the treatment approach conflicts radically with what the patient deeply believes or knows, turning himself or herself over for care becomes an act of resignation or, perhaps, an act of faith. In many cases, it is amazing that anyone allows us to treat their loved one at all.

Bruce H. Campbell, MD, FACS
Professor of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences
Chief, Division of Head and Neck Oncology
Interim Director, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center

"Reflections" is a collection of essays by the health professionals of the Medical College of Wisconsin.