Common misconceptions about cancer need to be corrected

The notion that cancer always has clear, painful symptoms or only appears in older people makes abnormal signs easily overlooked.

If it doesn't hurt, it's not cancer

According to Times of India, cancer does not always cause pain. Some diseases may develop in the early stages with mild or unclear symptoms. For example, colorectal cancer sometimes only causes changes in bowel habits, bleeding during bowel movements, anemia or weight loss before abdominal pain appears. Some skin cancer lesions may also cause no pain or discomfort, manifesting themselves only through unusual changes in color, size or shape.

Patients should not rely solely on pain to assess cancer risk. When persistent changes such as unexplained bleeding, unintentional weight loss, or persistent fatigue occur, the patient should see a doctor for evaluation.

Only older people get cancer

Aging is a factor that increases the risk of cancer, but some types of cancer can still appear in young people, in their 20s, 30s or 40s.

The notion that cancer only occurs in the elderly can cause young people to ignore unusual signs. When a tumor appears, unexplained weight loss, unusual bleeding, or persistent changes in bowel or bladder habits, the patient should see a doctor to determine the cause. However, these signs are not synonymous with cancer. Many symptoms can result from common medical conditions or benign conditions.

If no one in your family has cancer, you are not at risk

Family history is one of the factors considered when assessing cancer risk, but not everyone with the disease has a relative who has had cancer. Only about 5-10% of cancers are related to harmful gene changes inherited from parents. Most cancers form due to many other factors such as age, environment, lifestyle and genetic changes that occur during life.

If you feel healthy, you cannot get cancer

Feeling healthy does not always accurately reflect the body's internal condition. Some cancers can develop over a long period of time without causing obvious symptoms. When symptoms appear, the disease may have progressed.

This is why screening is important for certain types of cancer and at-risk groups. Screening should be based on age, gender, family history, risk factors and doctor's recommendations.

If you don't smoke, you don't have to worry about lung cancer

According to Hindustan Times, non-smokers can still get lung cancer from inhaling passive smoke, air pollution, exposure to radon, asbestos or some occupational chemicals. Some cases may be related to gene mutations in lung cells for which no clear risk factors have been identified. Therefore, signs such as prolonged cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, coughing up blood or weight loss still need attention.

Another misunderstanding is that everyone with cancer is treated the same way. In fact, cancer includes many types of diseases with different biological characteristics and levels of progression. Even people with the same type of cancer may be prescribed different treatments, depending on their disease characteristics and health status.