BUST THOSE MYTHS ABOUT PANCREATIC CANCER

Myth #1 – Pancreatic cancer is always deadly Early detection of the disease greatly contributes to the likelihood of successful treatment. Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer can be difficult to detect in its early stages when treatment has been known to be most successful. In addition to pancreatic cancer treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy, new trials are being conducted to help combat advanced-stage disease. Myth #2 – Pancreatic cancer patients who undergo radiation therapy could be harmful to others If a pancreatic cancer patient is undergoing radiation therapy they may worry about the risk to others around them. But the types of radiation therapy commonly given to pancreatic cancer patients don’t cause a person to become radioactive, and aren’t a health risk to other people. Nevertheless, cancer patients who are given radioactive iodine should follow safety precautions given by their doctor. Myth #3 – People only get pancreatic cancer if there’s a family history of the disease Only about 10% of pancreatic cancers are thought to be hereditary. The other 90% are due to factors including age, gender, smoking cigarettes and certain health conditions such as diabetes. Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is called a risk factor, but having a risk factor doesn’t necessarily mean that you will develop cancer.