Research advances have improved cancer treatment to make it more effective and to reduce side effects.
Yet some misleading ideas about cancer treatment still persist.
Here’s a look at common misconceptions about cancer treatment and explanations to help you understand the truth.
What a positive attitude can do is improve the quality of your life during cancer treatment and beyond.
Cancer actually includes a large group of diseases.
Each person’s cancer may have many different causes.
In addition, cancer is a moving target.
Cancer cells may continue to mutate and change during the course of the disease.
As such, they make your safety a high priority.
Unfortunately, scientific studies to determine the safety and effectiveness of new cancer treatments take time.
That may create the appearance or lead to reports that effective new treatments are being blocked.
Doctors often go into cancer research because they have a family member or friend affected by the disease.
They are as interested in finding a cure as anyone else, for the same reasonit affects them personally.
They hate to see a loved one in pain and don’t wish to lose this person.
They also want to spare others what they have gone through.
Cancer is a complicated disease, and there’s no sure way to always spot it.
Truth:Most people who have cancer are treated on an outpatient basis in their home communities.
At times it may be helpful to travel to a specialty medical center for treatment.
Sometimes, people may desire to take time away from work to focus on health.
Many times it is possible to resume or continue to work.
For example, drugs are now available to help better control nausea and exercise programs are encouraged.
The result is that you’re often able to work and stay active during your treatment.
Truth:Some cancers never cause pain.
There are exceptions, though, of which doctors and surgeons are aware.
For instance, a needle biopsy usually isn’t used in diagnosing testicular cancer.
Instead, if a doctor suspects testicular cancer, the testicle is removed.
Truth:There is no evidence that indicates surgery can cause cancer to spread.
Don’t delay or refuse treatment because of this myth.
Surgically removing cancer is often the first and most important treatment.
Some people may believe this myth because they feel worse during recovery than they did before surgery.
Truth:Your doctor tailors your treatment to you.
More and more, cancer treatment is being tailored based on genetic testing on your cancer cells.
Specific changes or mutations in your cancer cells may help guide your treatment.
Also, cancer treatments may depend on the genes that you’re born with.
Certain genes may show that your body processes certain chemotherapy treatments and drugs differently than someone else’s body.
Truth:It’s up to you whether you want to treat your cancer.
you might decide this after consulting with your doctor and learning about your options.
