The expert has debunked the most popular myths that make us shiver just thinking about cancer.
There are many misconceptions about cancer. We continue to believe in them and dutifully avoid this topic out of fear, just hoping it will never touch us. According to the WHO, more than 14 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year, and on average, 4 people on the planet may have cancer in their lifetime. Understanding the scary myths on this subject has helped us oncologist and expert Madanes Maria Grinberg.
Cancer is a death sentence
According to statistics, in Russia alone, almost every third person gets sick with one or another type of oncology – this is more than 700,000 people a year. At the same time, more than half of this number recover successfully. Despite the fact that the risk of developing a malignant tumor in a person is quite high, the chance of getting rid of cancer or entering stable remission is also very good. This is not a disaster or a death sentence. Medicine has come a long way in recent decades. Research is constantly being carried out, new approaches and new drugs are being developed.
Now it all depends on the type of disease and how quickly it is detected. The earlier this is done, the better the prognosis. More than 90% of early-stage cancer patients make a full recovery. Therefore, you should not avoid medical examinations or neglect annual checks.
Women are more likely than men to get cancer
Some types of cancer only occur in men, such as prostate cancer. And there are those that appear exclusively in women: say, gynecological. Yes, cancer of the lung or larynx is more often diagnosed in the stronger sex. But this is not due to the characteristics of the body, but to the fact that they smoke more often. A breast tumor occurs in people of both sexes, but always in 99% of cases in women.
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In general, lung, colorectal and breast cancers are the most common in Russia. Skin cancer is quite common.
Early-stage cancer is almost impossible to detect
It depends on the location of the tumor. In some cases, the tumor is quite easy to detect at the very beginning of the disease. There are even so-called preventable cancers. All are diagnosed through screening programs: cancer of the breast, cervix and colon and rectum. In some countries, screening for prostate and lung cancer is added.
Diagnosis in the early stages gives a predictable and predictable result. Thanks to screening, up to 90% of cancer cases are detected at an early stage, and the disease is well treated. Unfortunately, in all other nosologies, the probability of detecting oncology is not very high, except in cases where a person has reasonable suspicions. For example, he has a chronic illness to watch out for or a family history.
Tumor marker analysis can replace all screening programs
Only one of all tumor markers has diagnostic value – it is a marker for prostate cancer, and this only due to the presence of a specific gene. Everything else is not used for primary diagnosis and is necessary for differential diagnosis, or for monitoring treatment, and a fortiori cannot replace mammography, cervical smear or MRI.
Cancer is hereditary
Up to 10% of tumors are indeed hereditary. But the rest results from external influences on the body. Lifestyle and environment play a big role. Risk factors include smoking, excessive tanning, being overweight, viral load, exposure to industrial carcinogens, ionizing radiation, and frequent stress.
In Russia, oncology is poorly treated
Here it depends on the state to be compared, but Russia is very heterogeneous in this matter. The big difference is due to the size of our country. We also have leading medical centers where each person receives treatment at the highest level. Today, there are almost no unique technologies for oncological therapy abroad that could not be implemented in Russian clinics.
Tumors are a matter of luck, you can’t protect yourself from them
It is impossible to completely protect yourself from oncology, but you can minimize the risks of its occurrence. To do this, you need to give up bad habits (smoking and alcohol) and fast food as much as possible, spend less time under the scorching sun, monitor your weight, maintain the appropriate level of physical activity, and also do the necessary research. for early diagnosis and vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) . It is also worth thinking about insurance, then the company will cover the costs of timely and high-quality medical care.
Photo: Olga Kononenko/Unsplash
