Cancer Myths

Interactive questions and answers

Question 1

• There is evidence that Mobile phones can give you brain cancer

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

B = FALSE

So far, most studies have found no sufficient

evidence to link mobile phones use and

brain cancer.

Question 2

• What % of the general public says that cancer is a national health priority?

A. 17 %B. 35%C. 76%D. 90%

Answer C = 76%

Question 3

• Cancer can be caused by a knock or a bruise

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

C. IN SOME CASES

B = FALSE

Cancer Research UK survey, up to 40% of the people questioned mistakenly believed that if men bruise their testicles or women their breasts it could trigger the disease. But injuries such as bruises, cuts, or broken bones cannot cause cancer.

Question 4

• What % of cancer patients with pain are likely to become addicted to morphine and other strong painkillers?

A. Less than 1%B. 11%C. 23%

A = Less than 1%

What most people mean by this is, 'Will I become hooked and unable to

stop the morphine, even if I no longer need it for pain control?' The answer is a definite 'No!' Over the years, we have treated several thousand cancer patients withmorphine. We have never had trouble stopping treatment because of'addiction'. People who need strong painkillers to control their pain donot become addicted to their medications, and they do not usuallycause any harm

Dr Robert Twycross MA DM FRCP, Macmillan Clinical Reader in PalliativeMedicine, University of Oxford

Question 5

• In a National Opinion Poll. How many men and women wrongly believe that you can catch cancer itself from somebody who has the disease

A. 50% men 30% women

B. 30% men 20% women

C. 25% men 20% women

A = 50% men 30% women

Question 6

• Lung cancer is just a smoker’s disease.

A. TRUEB. FALSE

B = FALSE

Although the major risk factor of lung cancer

is smoking, around one in six people with

lung cancer have never smoked

Question 7• How many cancers could Britons

adopting a healthy lifestyle prevent?

A. None

B. 10-20% of cancers

C. 33%

D. 50% of all cancers

D = 50% of all cancers

Question 8

• You have less chance of developing lung cancer if you smoke low tar cigarettes rather than high tar ones.

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

B = FALSE.

Still exposed to over 4000 chemicals and

often these people inhale more deeply

Question 9• You are more likely to suffer long term

effects from drinking and have an increased risk of developing some cancers if you.

A. Binge drink alcohol

B. Drink alcohol every day

C. Just drink at the weekends

B = Drink alcohol every day

Question 10

• Regularly eating meat cooked on a charcoal grill can increase your risk for cancer.

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

A = TRUE

Question 11

• Living in a polluted city is a greater risk for lung cancer than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

B = FALSE

Question 12

• What are the main risk factors for cancer of the Bowel

A. Smoking and diet

B. Smoking and Obesity

C. Alcohol, obesity, family history, diet

D. Family history, diet and obesity

C = Alcohol, obesity, family history, diet

Question 13

• What are the main risk factors for oral cancers

A. Smoking, Alcohol, poor diet / nutrition

B. Smoking and alcohol

C. Smoking, diet / nutrition

A = Smoking, Alcohol, poor diet / nutrition

Question 14

• Over 99% of cervical cancers are caused by exposure to a virus

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

A = TRUE- Human Papillomavirus

HPV the facts RCN 2006 TYPES 16 AND 18 cause 70% of

cancers the other types cause around 30%.

There is a new vaccine for 12 and 13 year olds with a

catch up programme for older girls

Question 15

• How many children under the age of 15 develops cancer?

A. 1 in 500

B. 1 in 1000

C. 1 in 1500

A = 1 in 500 (CRUK)

Thank you for participating in this quiz