The Many Myths of Cancer

When I was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center back in June of 2012, my hematologist went into great detail about what leukemia was and what I could expect from going through chemotherapy. In fact, throughout the whole process of chemotherapy, my bone-marrow transplant, and graft-vs-host disease, I was given information. I was encouraged to read up on cancer, join support groups, and to ask all the questions I wanted. As I found out, there were a lot of misconceptions and myths out there about cancer and cancer treatment. One of the biggest myths I was told was that it was "clinically proven" that having a positive attitude can help you beat cancer. This was repeated to me by more than one friend and family member. It seemed farfetched to me. How can you clinically prove a "can-do" attitude can beat something so complicated as cancer? So, I looked it up. I even asked my doctor, and as it turns out there is no proof that having a positive attitude can help beat cancer.

Cancer Mythbusters

This is just one of the many myths and misconceptions there are surrounding cancer. Just a quick Google search of "common cancer myths" will give you more than two dozen hits from websites all over the globe. As it turns out, there are few subjects more misunderstood by the public than cancer. Considering there are more than 200 types of cancer, and that it is incredibly complicated, and scientists are still figuring it all out, it's no surprise there is so much misinformation. One of my favorite podcasts is called Cancer Mythbusters and it is produced by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where I was treated for ALL. One of my favorite episodes explores the idea of cancer being a personal battle which is a concept I will delve into in the next few weeks. The episodes are relatively short, and get straight to the point, which is always important when dealing with these topics, especially for those of us who are dealing with the after-effects of chemotherapy.

Episode List and Links Through the Dana-Farber Website

Episode 1: Breast Lumps and Cancer Episode 2: Cancer Genetics and Prevention Episode 3: Smoking and Lung Cancer Episode 4: Is Cancer Contagious? Episode 5: Cancer Clinical Trials Episode 6: Is Palliative Care Only for End-of-Life Patients? Episode 7: Superfoods and Cancer Episode 8: Brain Tumor Myths Episode 9: What to Know About Marijuana Episode 10: Leukemia Myths Episode 11: Breast Cancer Risk Episode 12: Prostate Cancer Myths Episode 13: Early Cancer Detection and Risk Episode 14: Chemotherapy Myths and Misconceptions Episode 15: Alternative Therapies and Integrative Therapies Episode 16: The Myth That Cancer Is a 'Battle' These episodes may also be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, Youtube, and other outlets.

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