Karen E. Knudsen, Ph.D., enterprise director at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Health, oversees cancer care and cancer research at all SKCC sites in the Greater Philadelphia region. She debunks six of the commonest cancer myths. Excerpts:The majority of cancer cases are not hereditary. Inherited genetic mutations cause only 5-10 percent of all cancers, which is why no one should ignore symptoms or skip screenings.
If you do have a family history of cancer, get checked for your risk of certain cancers such as breast, ovarian, prostate and colorectal. Those with a family history may need to get screened at an earlier age or consider having additional screening tests than those who do not carry a genetic mutation. A family history of cancer does not guarantee a cancer diagnosis.
You should never ignore anything that you find abnormal, such as rectal bleeding, an abnormal mole, or a lump in your breast. By assuming you are too young to have cancer, you might not get diagnosed until it is at a much later stage and much harder to treat.Years ago, a person diagnosed with cancer faced a very poor prognosis. This is no longer the case. While even one cancer-related death is one too many, we have very good reason to be positive.
This progress is a result of incredible discoveries made by scientists and cancer researchers from around the world. Their findings have been translated into clinical practice that has directly benefited patients. We have developed better ways to screen for cancer so that it is detected early, when it is more likely to be treatable. We now have a vaccine for HPV available that can actually prevent cervical cancer and reduce the risk of other cancers, such as head and neck cancer.
Sometimes the best course of action for certain cancer types or stages is to monitor the cancer. For many prostate cancers, the best course of action can be either “active surveillance” or “watchful waiting” because the cancer is so slow growing that the risks and side effects of treatment outweigh the benefits.All rights reserved.
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