Deodorants or antiperspirant products can cause breast cancer
Although such products contain harmful substances like parabens and aluminum compounds that can be absorbed through the skin or enter the body through shaving nicks, there is no clinical study yet which proves whether these products can cause breast cancer or not. So, these kinds of statements are actually myths.
However, if you are still worried about using such products and yet concerned about your body odors, you better opt for products that contain no worrying chemical.

Microwaving plastic containers and wraps release harmful and cancer-causing substances into the food they kept
Plastic containers and wraps which are microwave-safe can be safely used in the microwave. But of course, the regular plastic containers which are not intended for microwave use could possibly melt and potentially leak chemical compounds into your food. So before putting the plastic containers inside your microwave, you better check whether it is labeled ‘microwave-safe’ or not.

People with cancer shouldn’t consume sugary foods, since it can make the cancer grow faster.
Although all cells, including cancer cells, depend on blood sugar (glucose) for energy, it doesn’t make those cells grow faster. So even though you cut your sugar intake, it won’t slow the growth of those cancer cells either.

Good people don’t get cancer
We realized that in ancient times there was a belief that certain diseases are the punishment for being bad or having bad thoughts. So what about the newborns or kids at young age who have cancer, are such punishments applied to them as well? Therefore, you should agree that those beliefs are truly myths.

Cancer is contagious
There is no way for cancer to be contagious. The only trigger that could pass diseases which can lead to the development of cancer is virus. Viruses like Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Hepatitis C can be transmitted through sexual intercourse or the use of infected IV needles. HPV can later cause cervical and other forms of cancer, while Hepatitis C can cause liver cancer. So other than avoiding people who have cancer, better you talk to your doctor about ways to protect yourself from those viruses.

When detected early, the chance to treat this cancer should be higher. Although according to research, only about 20 percent of ovarian cancer symptoms can be acknowledged before the growth of tumor spreading away from the ovaries. It is expected that early cancer detection can improve the life expectancy of the patients before the cancer cells grow and spread to other parts of the body

Ovarian cancer has no specific symptoms like indigestion or bladder abnormality, so it is quite difficult to recognize the condition of cancer at an early stage. A woman with ovarian cancer can be diagnosed by comparing her current condition with the previous state before she finally realized that she has cancer.

The only symptoms to recognize the cancer is the condition of the patient which declines, including the experience gastrointestinal disturbances, which tend to disappear and reappear in certain situations or after consuming certain foods. The condition usually fluctuates constantly and gradually worsened.

Recent studies show that women with ovarian cancer more likely have the following symptoms:
- Pressure at the abdomen, where patient often feels his stomach is full, swollen, or bloated
- Often feel the need to urinate
- Discomfort or pain at the pelvic area

Other signs and symptoms women with ovarian cancer may experience with are:
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Frequent urine
- Loss of appetite, or quickly feeling full
- Swollen abdomen, that the clothes you wear feel too tight at the waist.
- Pain during sexual intercourse or dyspareunia
- Fatigue or lack of energy
- Back pain
- Changes in menstrual cycle

The only recommended medical treatment for ovarian cancer is normally a combination of medical surgery and chemotherapy.

According to Dr Aulia Sani, SpJP(K), FJCC, FIHA, FAsCC, a cardiac disease specialist, about 30 percent of cigarette smoke is inhaled by the smokers themselves, while 70 percent is shared to others through the air. Dr Aulia, who calls the smokers selfish, also revealed that even within the short term, the negative impact of smoking can already be recognized – it can cause cough and slightly increase the blood pressure. For longer term, smoking can cause other chronic disease such as heart disease and cancer.

There are various hazardous chemical compounds contained in cigarette smokes such as nicotine, tar and asphalt. These make the passive smokers (the non-smokers who inhale cigarette smokes) share the same risk as the active smokers, as they will eventually damage the lungs. Think about the babies, children, and pregnant mothers who are not smoking but have to suffer from impact of smoking.

According to WHO, within the 4,000 chemical compounds found in cigarette-smokes, 250 of them are hazardous, and 50 of them can cause cancer. Adult smokers are susceptible to diseases like chronic bronchitis, emphysema, stroke, lung cancer and coronary heart disease.

The number of such chronic diseases can actually decrease by the change of lifestyle. However, this seems to be the most difficult part for smokers to do since this habit has an addictive characteristic. But like or not, if you really care for yourself as well as people around you, you better start to reduce the number of cigarette you smoke everyday, of stop smoking immediately. Those are the only ways to change the style of your habit and furthermore, prevent you from suffering any chronic disease.

Use a set of handsfree or bluetooth – these wireless devices will allow you to communicate using your mobile phone without a direct contact with your head. The distance between the signal transmission and your head will reduce the effect of radiation to your brain. Although wireless devices like bluetooth has its own radiation effect, it is much more harmless compared to the one which is caused by the phone.

Use text messaging service more often than phone calls – when you receive a text message, the position of your head to your phone will be at certain distance so the radiation transmitted by your phone will not affect your brain directly.

Never keep your phone under your pillow – even though you are not using the phone, it will still transmit a radio magnetic radiation on standby mode in order to keep the network connection with your provider. So if you keep it under your pillow, your brain will be exposed to the radiation all night.

Never keep the phone in the pocket of your shirt or pants – brain is not the only part of your body which could be exposed to the radiation. According to studies, it could impact the quality of sperm, or in other words could cause infertility to men, while to women it can increase the risk of breast cancer. To reduce such risk, you better keep your phone in your purse or bag if you want to carry it with you.

Use an anti-radiation cover or casing – there are plenty anti-radiation products in the market you can purchase to reduce the exposure of electromagnetic radiation such as stickers and phone covers. This kind of product is really recommended for those who own smartphones because this kind of phone normally has higher radiation level and the radiation can be reduced up to 66,7 percent by using the right product.

Who wouldn’t love consuming cheese? For all this times we know that this tasty food is the best companion of cakes, spaghetti, soup, and various desserts. Not only well known for its deliciousness, as it is produced from fresh cows’ milk, we also know that cheese contains a good amount of calcium which is good to maintain the health of our bones as well as the growth of our teeth.

But after a research conducted in the Netherlands, it was found that cheese can increase the risk of bladder cancer. The fact is related to the cheese consumption with the amount of over 53 grams per day. Different from the fat produced by olive oil, which can actually protect our body, the saturated fat found in dairy products like cheese can make the cancer cells work faster.

The researchers involved about 200 cancer patients and 386 volunteers who are free from the risk of tumors. When both groups compared by giving them more than 53 grams of cheese per day to consume, it was found that the risk of bladder cancer appeared to increase more than 50 percent. But the results of this research cannot be absolutely trusted yet, because considering its healthy benefits, the researchers in Netherlands and Belgium cannot decide that cheese is a dangerous threat to our health. Therefore, further research is needed in order to make the findings more valid.

Although the result of the study has yet proven to be accurate, we better start to limit our daily consumption of cheese. Preferably less than 53 grams per day, that you still can get the benefits of this product without having to worry about further risks it may trigger.

The drug contains PARP inhibitors, which affect the way tumors cells repair themselves. It is actually contained in a family of cancer drugs as they target hereditary forms of breast cancer, as well as ovarian prostate cancers and pancreatic tumors with the same rogue gene.

The drugs become the particular interest to doctors because they kill the tumor without harming healthy cells. In other words, the patients who consume the drug will suffer fewer side effects compared with the one they would get from the treatments of chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

As reported in the Nature Medicine journal, when PARP inhibitor was given to animals as part of the experiment, it successfully shrunk their cancer. The scientists even stated that they were able to show that the approach of PARP inhibitor targeted cancer cells only. But they still need to develop an effective drug that can block a molecule called Cdk1, a molecule which allows the repair of cancer cell’s DNA. Once the drug is developed, it could be widely applicable to cure cancer, and possibly universally.

Dr Lesley Walker from Cancer Research UK, an institution which funded the research of this ‘wonder drug’ said although it is very early to expect for the drug to be accomplished, it is very exciting to know that there is defect in the cancer cells which make the cells vulnerable to PARP inhibitors as found in the case of lung cancer. The doctor even optimistically stated that the fact gives pretty much hope to the creation of a powerful new tool in treating cancer.

Researchers of University of Florida found that papaya can be an anti-cancer agent which could effectively fight against cervical cancer, breast, liver, lung, and pancreas cancer. The conclusion was made after performing a test using certain tea made of dry papaya leaves extract. And from the test, it was found that papaya can increase the production of chemical substance which regulates the body’s immune system. The findings of the study have been published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

According to Dr Nam Dang of University of Florida, the papaya extract which was tested in the laboratory doesn’t have toxic effects to normal cells. So it is very safe for alternative medication. However, further study regarding papaya must be conducted in order to find out the effect it would cause once it enters our body.

Besides lycophene, papaya also contains other nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, and folic acid. The flesh is not the only part of this fruit we can benefit of, the leaves of the papaya tree can be used to cure vaginal discharge or fluor albus, improving menstruation, and breastfeeding, while the seeds are known as the source of saponins which can improve the body’s immunity. Considering its richness in those healthy nutrients, there is no wonder that this fruit is considered as super-fruit.

Other kinds of fruits and veggies which also known to contain lycophene are tomato, watermelon, and orange. Foods which are very rich of lycophene can be easily recognized from the flesh; if the fruit has colorful flesh then it is surely rich of the substance.

1. Lung cancer screening is now a reality.
To make sure whether you are free from developing lung cancer or not – due to the history of smoking, The National Lung Screening Trial in the US showed that a CT scan can be performed for some smokers and former smokers to detect lung cancer at an early stage. This way, we can surely reduce the chances of death.
But since lung cancer screening is not for everyone, you need to find out if you should get screened or not.

2. Health care reform makes preventing cancer more affordable.
With the reform of the health care, it should be much less costly now to get cancer screening exams and adopting healthy habits to reduce cancer risks.
Many health insurance plans in the US now provide preventive services without requiring a co-pay, coinsurance or a deductible. So with less cost, it should be easier for people to get help regarding diet improvement to lose weight, or a guidance to quit smoking, and other lifestyle changes that can help prevent cancer.

3. Proactive approach on avoiding everyday toxins.
The basic idea is: It’s better to be safe than sorry. As according to Margaret L. Kripke, co-writer of the report and professor emeriti at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, people never know how much environmental factors can contribute to new cancer cases, therefore proactive approach like finding ways to reduce contact with toxic chemicals and radiation are advised to take. The approach is suggested in the 2010 President’s Cancer Panel Report.

4. Hormone therapy use to reduce cancer risks.
Women who take combined hormone therapy have been proven to have a higher risk of breast cancer. After a 15-year study regarding estrogen and progestin therapy, the Women’s Health Initiative confirmed the longer women use the therapy, the more cancer risk appears to increase.
However, instead of taking progestine-alone therapy – which may increase the breast cancer risk, taking estrogen-alone therapy for a short term is actually safe and does not increase the risk of breast cancer.

5. Smoking bans in half of all states.
Smoking bans are growing rapidly in numbers of states, where in these states smoking in public areas and work places are not allowed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if the progress continues, the entire country could have laws banning smoking in all indoor areas by 2020.