Get your facts straight on cancer so you don’t gamble with your health and longevity.

Not everything causes cancer, contrary to popular belief. And most people actually have a lot of control over their cancer risks—even from a young age.

Reducing your risks takes more than avoiding certain consumer products or switching cigarette brands.

Here’s how to sort the cancer myths from the facts.

Myth: Using a cell phone can cause cancer.

Years ago, news reports suggested a possible link between cell phones and cancer, but so far no peer-reviewed studies support that claim.

Myth: You can get cancer from other electronic equipment.

Devices that emit electromagnetic fields, such as microwave ovens, televisions, power lines, electric blankets … none of these have been shown conclusively to cause cancer.

Myth: You’re more likely to get cancer from pollution than from smoking.

Not so—cigarette smoking is by far the leading cause of lung cancer.

Myth: Smoking low-tar cigarettes is less risky than smoking regular ones.

It would be great if that were true, since smoking causes about 30 percent of all cancer deaths. But research indicates the amount of tar in a cigarette has no effect on cancer risk.

Myth: Older women don’t need regular mammograms.

Wrong—age is one of the biggest risk factors for developing breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute recommends that women ages 40 and older continue having mammograms every year or two, according to their doctors’ advice.

Myth: Your mother’s side of the family, not your father’s, determines your inherited risk for breast cancer.

Not true—you’ll need to check your family history on both your mother’s and father’s side. The good news is, if women on both sides of your family have had breast cancer, your risk is no higher than if breast cancer occurred on just one side.

Myth: Don’t use antiperspirants, wear an underwire bra, drink fluoridated water, use saccharine or aspartame.

Research has shown no evidence of a link between any of these and cancer.

Misinformation Has Its Risks
“It’s amazing how entrenched people can become in these myths,” says Therese B. Bevers, M.D., medical director of the Cancer Prevention Center at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “The danger of believing a myth is when it causes you to do something that could be harmful, or conversely, to not do something that would be beneficial.”

For example, if you believe polluted city air is your biggest personal cancer risk, you may decide it’s not worth it to quit smoking. If you believe you’re immune to cancer, you might not take sensible precautions.

“For most women, the simple fact they are women and are getting older is their only significant risk for breast cancer,” Bevers adds. “The number of breast cancer cases increases in women over age 60.”

What Can You Believe?
Fact: While certain risk factors for cancer can’t be changed, such as your age or family history, a few basic lifestyle changes have been shown to significantly reduce cancer risk. According to Bevers, these are some of the best preventive steps:

1. Eat a healthy diet. Eat plenty of whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables each day. Limit your consumption of processed meat to help reduce your risk for colorectal and stomach cancers.
2. Stay physically active. “Engaging in physical activity for 30 minutes five times a week has been shown to reduce the risk for cancer,” says Bevers. To reduce breast cancer risk, you’ll need to increase your activity to 45 minutes five times a week, she adds.
3. Maintain a healthy weight. A link has been established between being overweight or obese and the risk for cancer.
4. Limit your alcohol intake. For preventive effects, men should drink no more than two alcoholic beverages a day, and women no more than one. With breast cancer, each additional drink raises a woman’s risk.
5. Limit sun exposure, especially during hours when the sun is most intense. Wear protective clothing. Apply adequate sunscreen and re-apply according to label directions.
6. Don’t smoke. If you do smoke, quit. There are a lot of tools available to help people quit, including effective medications.
7. Follow safe sex practices to reduce your risk of contracting HPV.
8. Talk with your doctor about your personal risk factors and have regular recommended cancer screenings.

“For example, a colonoscopy isn’t just about early detection of colon cancer—it’s also about prevention,” says Bevers. “If a precancerous polyp is found and removed, you may have prevented cancer.” Last but not least, “be sure your information about cancer risks is coming from a reliable source,” says Bevers. “There’s a lot of information out there—just be sure it’s fact, not fiction.”

Resources for Lowering Your Cancer Risk

• THE MAYO CLINIC offers seven steps to reduce your risk for cancer at its Web site, www.mayoclinic.com, search for “cancer prevention 7 steps.”
• THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY provides a wide range of helpful information and resources related to cancer prevention and treatment. Visit www.cancer.org, or call a cancer information specialist toll-free at 800-ACS-2345, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE is another excellent source of information. Visit www.cancer.gov, or call 800-4-CANCER to talk with an information specialist.
• ABOUT BREAST CANCER SCREENING: Mammograms are currently the best method for detecting breast cancer early, when it’s easier to treat. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov, search for “cancer screening breast.”
• ABOUT CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING: The Pap test can find abnormal cells in the cervix before they become cancerous, and can detect any cervical cancer early, when it has a high cure rate. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov, search for “cancer screening cervical.”
• ABOUT COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING: Screening tests can locate precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer; and they can find colorectal cancer early when treatment works best. For more information about colorectal cancer screening, visit www.cdc.gov, search for “cancer screening colorectal.”

Polly Turner spoke with Therese B. Bevers, M.D., medical director of the Cancer Prevention Center at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

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