Articles
Cancer treatment myths: Any truth to these common beliefs?
Myth: Drug companies and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are blocking or withholding new cancer treatments
Myth: Everyone with the same kind of cancer gets the same kind of treatment
Myth: If we can put a man on the moon, we should have cured cancer by now
Myth: Drug companies and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are blocking or withholding new cancer treatments
Myth: Regular checkups and today's medical technology can detect all cancer early
Content
Myth: A positive attitude is all you need to beat cancer
Myth: If we can put someone on the moon, we should have cured cancer by now
Myth: New cancer treatments are being kept from the public
Myth: Regular checkups and today's medical technology can find all cancer early
Myth: Undergoing cancer treatment means you can't live at home, work or go about your usual activities
Myth: Cancer is always painful
Myth: A needle biopsy can disturb cancer cells, causing them to travel to other parts of the body
Myth: Surgery causes cancer to spread
Myth: Everyone who has the same kind of cancer gets the same kind of treatment
Myth: Everyone who has cancer has to have treatment
Myth: Everyone with the same kind of cancer gets the same kind of treatment
Myth: If we can put a man on the moon, we should have cured cancer by now
Myth: Drug companies and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are blocking or withholding new cancer treatments
Myth: Regular checkups and today's medical technology can detect all cancer early
Content
Myth: A positive attitude is all you need to beat cancer
Myth: If we can put someone on the moon, we should have cured cancer by now
Myth: New cancer treatments are being kept from the public
Myth: Regular checkups and today's medical technology can find all cancer early
Myth: Undergoing cancer treatment means you can't live at home, work or go about your usual activities
Myth: Cancer is always painful
Myth: A needle biopsy can disturb cancer cells, causing them to travel to other parts of the body
Myth: Surgery causes cancer to spread
Myth: Everyone who has the same kind of cancer gets the same kind of treatment
Myth: Everyone who has cancer has to have treatment
Myth: New cancer treatments are being kept from the public
Truth: Your healthcare professional and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are working for you and other people with cancer. As such, they make your safety their primary concern. The FDA must approve new medicines before they can be given to people who aren't getting medicines as part of a clinical trial.
It takes time to conduct scientific studies to figure out how safe cancer treatments are and how well they work. This can make it seem like new treatments are being blocked. But in reality, it's because researchers want to be sure that new treatments work well and don't cause harm.
