Here are some cancer myths that most of us always hear. Some of them are true and some of them aren’t. This article will help you find out more about these myths.

1. Brain cancer could be caused by hair dyes. Hair dyes casing cancers are only mere speculations. In fact there has been no evidence of a person having any kind cancer due to hair dyes. This myth claims that hair dyes also causes breast and bladder cancers. To disprove this myth the Journal of American Medical Association has put out a study that hair dye does not cause any kind of cancer.

2. Cell phones also cause cancer. The last I heard the only reason a cell phone can kill someone is due to inattentive driving. Or maybe if a person gets killed by people who get irritated at him or her for using the cell phone inside the movie house. There is no study or proof that proves that cell phones can cause cancer.

3. If cancer is in your family, you will inherit it too. Some cancers are genetic but it doesn’t necessarily mean that a person will have cancer when his or her ancestors had it. There are only few cancers such as colorectal, breast or ovarian that can be passed down. The gene may be passed on to the child. Having these genes will only increase your likelihood of developing cancer but will not certainly have it.

4. Cancer can make you bald. This is not true. Cancer does not cause a person to lose his or her hair. Instead it is the cancer treatments that a person has such as radiation and chemotherapy that makes a person lose hair. However not all patients also lose hair due to cancer treatments.

5. Do only women get breast cancer? This myth is the biggest one of all. Men also suffer from breast cancer. In fact every year 1500 men are diagnosed with cancer and almost 500 of them die. If you are a man feeling any lumps in your breast, do get it checked out and don’t dismiss the threat.

6. Pharmaceutical companies are hiding out the cures of cancer. This is just one big lie. Why would pharmaceutical hide this treatment? If they do release the cure they’d be making more money anyway. This myth might only be a way of bitter patients to turn the tide against those companies. Never lose hope though. There are lots of treatments for cancer such as radiation, chemotherapy, or operation.

7. Cancer will always be fatal. This is true that cancer is fatal. In fact doctors will usually say or give you a period of time to live if the cancer has gotten worse. However, thanks to scientists and researchers, new breakthroughs if cancer has been detected earlier can be more treatable. Currently because of the treatments, more than 40% of cancer patients live longer than the 5 year mark.

8. Certain types of cancer can prove to be very contagious. This myth is more for the uninformed. Because no cancer can be very contagious. You should not be afraid of a person who has cancer. Instead you should be helping him or her out. It is the other hand though. There are certain viruses that cause cancer. These viruses are HPV and Hepatitis C. Cervical cancer can be caused by the HPV virus. Liver cancer may be caused by the Hepatitis C virus. These viruses are usually transported via unsafe sexual practices. Hepatitis C is caused more by blood transfusions or sharing of needles.

9. Being optimistic helps cure cancer. Having a positive state of mind helps out but it will not cure you of cancer. This attitude will only provide you with a better outlook of your health’s future. You will have more belief that you will be healthy again.