Cancer: True or False

Grab a pen and paper and test your cancer knowledge. It just might save your life. (No cheating!)

Questions:

1. People who smoke pipes and cigars are not at increased risk of cancer.
   
2. Saccharine does not increase the risk of cancer.
   
3. Use of antiperspirants and deodorants are not associated with the subsequent development of breast cancer.
   
4. Eating grilled meats does not raise the risk of cancer.
   
5. The risk of dying from cancer is increasing in the U.S.
   
6. Long-time smokers can reduce their cancer risk by quitting smoking.
   
7. Some injuries can cause cancer later in life.
   
8. Cell phones increase the risk of brain cancer.
   
9. People who smoke low-tar cigarettes have less chance of developing lung cancer than those who smoke regular cigarettes.
   
10. Only women get breast cancer.
    
11. Cancer is not contagious.
    
12. Treating cancer with surgery will cause it to spread throughout the body.

Answers:

1. FALSE - Smoking cigars or a pipe increases the risk of oral cancer (and coronary heart disease).
   
2. TRUE - No credible evidence has been found that saccharine, aspartame, or other commercially available artificial sweeteners increase the risk of cancer.
   
3. TRUE - Neither the National Cancer Institute nor the FDA has found any link between the use of these products and breast cancer.
   
4. FALSE - Grilling meat creates chemicals called heterocyclicamines, which are associated with an increased risk of cancer. Avoid well-done or charred meats; they contain the largest amounts of these harmful chemicals.
   
5. FALSE - In recent years, the risk of dying of cancer in the U.S. has been falling.
   
6. TRUE - Although the increased risk of cancer in smokers never goes away completely, the likelihood of developing cancer (and coronary heart disease) falls significantly after a person stops smoking.
   
7. TRUE - Some traumatic injuries, as when sunburn damages the DNA within skin cells, can cause cancer.
   
8. FALSE - Cell phones cause accidents if used while driving, but they do not cause brain cancer or other forms of cancer.
   
9. FALSE - A study from MIT found that the risk of lung cancer was no different among people who smoked medium-tar, low-tar, or very-low-tar cigarettes.
   
10. FALSE - Although men are at much lower risk for breast cancer than women, men can get breast cancer too.
    
11. TRUE - While cancer is not contagious, two types of viral infections greatly increase the risk of cancer: The sexually transmitted human papillomavirus is currently the leading cause of cervical cancer, while the hepatitis C virus, transmitted through infected intravenous needles and sexual activity, increases the chance of liver cancer.
    
12. FALSE - Surgery is the most effective treatment for most cancers.