By sciencebase, Section News Posted on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 08:06:04 AM PST
There are many myths about cancer and its causes. For instance, environmental factors are not the big risk many people assume while established risk factors, such as drinking alcohol are ignored. The first global survey on the topic of cancer misconceptions was published today by Roy Morgan Research and Gallup International on behalf of the International Union of Against Cancer (UICC).
The survey has identified key areas where misconceptions could be addressed and where lives could be saved.
Almost 30,000 people in 29 countries were questioned and key findings include:
People in high-income countries were the least likely to believe that drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancer. However, cancer risk rises as alcohol intake increases.
In high-income countries, the hazards of not eating enough fruits and vegetables scored more highly as a perceived risk (59%) than did alcohol intake (51%), even though the scientific evidence for the protective effect of fruit and vegetables is weaker than the evidence that alcohol intake is harmful.
In rich countries, stress (57%) and air pollution (78%) scored higher as perceived risk factors for cancer than did alcohol intake. However, stress is not recognized as a cause of cancer and air pollution is a minor contributor compared with alcohol consumption.
People in low- and middle-income countries have more pessimistic beliefs about cancer treatment than those in high-income countries. One of the more important problematic beliefs in lower-income countries concerned perceptions about the curability of cancer. The survey found that in such countries 48% said that "not much can be done" to cure cancer or that they didn't know whether anything could be done. That compares with 39% in middle-income countries and 17% in high-income countries. Such a misconception elief is worrying because it might deter people from participating in cancer screening programs, which are important for saving lives.
In general, people in all countries are more ready to accept that things outside of their control might cause cancer (such as air pollution), than things that are within their own control (such as overweight, which is a well-established cancer risk factor).
75% percent of people in low-income countries said their preference was for their doctor to make all the treatment decisions. Only 8% said the doctor and patient should decide together and 9% said the patient should decide. That compares with a preference in rich countries for a more equitable decision-making style that emphasizes self-determination, with 72% saying either that the decision should be made together or rest with the patient alone.
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