There are more rumors than truth about cancer treatment.
It may seem like an understatement, but if you believe it and delay the time for treatment, it is really “killing”.
Today, we’ll debunk a few cancer myths that kill people.
01
“How many more days can I survive without chemo?”
Fake! Chemotherapy can save lives. There are some rumors that “cancer patients die faster after chemotherapy”, which is pure nonsense.
Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals to kill cancer cells and is one of the most effective treatments for cancer. Although targeted therapy and immunotherapy have progressed rapidly over the years, they cannot replace chemotherapy.
Current cancer treatment is generally not done alone, but with multiple means, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Whether the treatment effect is good or not depends mainly on the 5-year survival rate.
Let’s take a look at the changes in the 5-year survival rate of childhood cancer in the United States (1962-2016), and we can see that the overall survival time has increased significantly [1]. (The green pillars are all longer than the blue ones)
02
“If you have cancer, don’t treat it, why don’t you do something you want to do?”
The truth is that many early- to mid-stage cancers have the potential to be cured if detected early. However, if one listens to the rumors and does not properly treat it properly, the tumor will progress rapidly, miss the opportunity for treatment, and completely lose the chance for radical cure.
Don’t be influenced by the unreliable propaganda on the Internet, blindly refuse formal treatment, and use some strange treatments, such as meditation, herbal medicine, qigong, etc.
A study conducted by Yale University in the United States: 281 cancer patients did not believe in regular treatment, but used some folk methods. After 5 years of follow-up, these people were found to have a 2.5-fold higher 5-year mortality rate than those with similar conditions who received regular treatment [2].
03
“If you can’t find cancer in your annual physical examination, why don’t you go”
Studies have shown that regular screening in high-risk groups can reduce mortality from those cancers[3], such as:
Low-dose helical CT screening in high-risk groups can reduce lung cancer mortality;
The screening of high-risk groups with mammography (or mammography + breast B-ultrasound) can reduce the mortality of breast cancer;
Cervical cytology in high-risk groups can reduce cervical cancer mortality;
Regular colonoscopy in high-risk groups can reduce colorectal cancer mortality.
04
“No smoking, no drinking, no big fish, no big meat, good life, you won’t get cancer?”
About 40% of cancers are related to lifestyle, with alcohol and tobacco being one of the most important factors[4]. But cancer is also associated with a lot of lifestyle choices in addition to alcohol and tobacco. For example, frequent sun exposure increases the incidence of skin cancer; HPV infection increases the incidence of cervical cancer and anal cancer; and obesity increases the incidence of various cancers.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
05
“To treat cancer, it is best to use the latest therapy – immunotherapy”
Wrong! Immunotherapy is a new weapon in our fight against cancer, improving the effectiveness of certain cancers. But it also has indications, not a panacea.
In simple terms, immunotherapy modulates the patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. Currently proven effectiveYes, there are only a small subset of immunotherapies, such as PD-1 inhibitors and CAR-T treatments for blood cancers.
Let’s briefly introduce the PD-1.
When bad things like bacteria and viruses invade the body, immune cells will recognize and attack.
Cancer cells are bad too, but they camouflage so sometimes immune cells don’t recognize them.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
Immune T cells have a special receptor, and cancer cells have a special ligand on the surface. When they meet, they will hold hands, just like a loving couple, T cells It will not attack cancer cells.
And when we cut off this bad relationship through a special “drug”, the two changed from lovers to passers-by, T cells can recognize cancer cells and kill them.
This receptor of T cells is PD-1, the ligand of cancer cells is PD-L1, and this “drug” is a PD-1 inhibitor.
PD-1 inhibitors do not directly kill cancer cells, but allow the ability of immune cells to return to normal and return to work to fight.
Attention! PD-1 treatment is not a panacea and cannot replace other treatments. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are still the most basic treatment methods.
06
“I heard that paraquat can kill everything, so can it be used to kill tumors?”
No. Before paraquat kills tumor cells, you may be a step ahead.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
07
“There is no cancer vaccine, and cancer cannot be prevented.”
HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine can prevent cancers caused by HPV, such as cervical cancer, anal cancer and oral cancer, and some people even call it “cervical cancer vaccine”. 99% of cervical cancers are related to HPV infection. Blocking HPV infection with vaccines can greatly reduce the risk of cervical cancer [5].
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
There is also a vaccine that most people have had and also has anti-cancer effects, and that is the hepatitis B vaccine. More than half (55%) of liver cancers worldwide are associated with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, and hepatitis B vaccination can significantly reduce the risk of liver cancer.
08
“Does drinking less alcohol and drinking pure grain alcohol reduce the risk of cancer?”
Strictly speaking, it’s best not to drink a drop of alcohol. Drinking alcohol increases cancer risk. Especially those who blush when they drink alcohol, the probability of them getting some tumors is much higher than ordinary people[6].
How can I tell if I am this type of person? 2 questions can be answered:
Do you blush quickly after drinking a beer (about 180ml)?
Did you have problem 1 in the first few years after you started drinking?
If any of the answers are “yes”, then you are most likely a “can’t drink person”, but don’t practice drinking!
We recommend that it be best not to drink alcohol. However, if it is impossible to stop drinking, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that men should have less than 2 drinks per week and women should have less than 1 drink per week [7].
09
“After cancer, if the patient is in a good mood, the tumor can go away on its own.”
Error.
First, you will get cancer if you have a good state of mind; second, after you have cancer, facing it correctly and actively treating it will help improve the treatment effect. Simply “good attitude, more exercise”, will not make the tumor disappear.
It is often said in medicine that when a person is diagnosed with cancer, it is often the last act of the battle to develop cancer. Cancer doesn’t develop overnight. A person suffering from tumor, like the collapse of a building, is caused by a combination of factors and mutualThe effect is finally formed through multiple pathways/mechanisms and through multiple stages.
10
“If you have cancer, you can live longer if you have money. If you don’t have money, give it up as soon as possible.”
A very cruel fact is that part of this sentence is true, especially for advanced tumors, the current price of new drugs is very high, even if they enter the medical insurance, it is also difficult for ordinary families a huge financial burden.
But many cancers can be caught early, treated very well, and not too expensive.
So early screening is crucial.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
If you are unfortunate enough to have cancer, you must get regular treatment.
For example – Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc., USA.
What Jobs got was not “pancreatic cancer” as everyone thought, but a very slow-growing pancreatic tumor called “pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor.” It is far more effective than pancreatic cancer.
Jobs had a high probability of being cured, but his biggest problem was that he hoped to control the tumor through folk remedies such as meditation and herbal medicine.
Unfortunately, the remedies he believed in could not control the growth of the tumor at all, and it took a full 9 months before he had to undergo surgery, but it was too late.
Jobs had enough money, but money didn’t help him completely.
Early screening and regular treatment are more important than anything else.
What other rumors have you heard?
Write it below and we’ll break it together!
Contributing Author: Zhuang Shilihe |Health Science Popularization V
References
[1]https:https://www.stjude.org/content/dam/en_US/shared/www/fundraising-programs/saddle-up/fy17/16-VE-24424_Saddle %20Up%20Coordinator%20Resource%20Guide_508Cmpl.pdf
[2]Johnson, S. B., Park, H. S., Gross, C. P., & James, B. Y. (2018). Complementary medicine, refusal of conventional cancer therapy, and survival among patients with curable cancers. JAMA oncology, 4(10), 1375-1381.
[3] Zou Xiaonong, Jia Manman, Wang Xin, Zhi Xiuyi. Interpretation of the main points of “2020 Global Cancer Report”. Chinese Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 2020. doi: 10.7507/1007 -4848.202010033
[4]Ireland, and the United Kingdom in 2015. British journal of cancer, 118(8), 1130-1141.]
[5] Qiao Youlin. (2007). Epidemiological research status of human papillomavirus infection and cervical cancer in Chinese women and prospects for vaccine prevention.
[6] Yang, S. J., Wang, H. Y., Li, X. Q., Du, H. Z., Zheng, C. J., Chen, H. G., … & Yang, C. X. (2007). Genetic polymorphisms of ADH2 and ALDH2 association with esophageal cancer risk in southwest China. World journal of gastroenterology: WJG, 13(43), 5760.
[7]https:https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm
*The content of this article is for the popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment suggestion, nor can it replace the face-to-face consultation of a licensed physician, and is for reference only.
*The copyright of this article belongs to Tencent Medical Dictionary. Unauthorized reprinting by media is prohibited. Illegal reprinting will be investigated for legal responsibility according to law. Individuals are welcome to forward to the circle of friends.