1. It is better not to know
I’ve never believed ignorance is bliss and cancer is no exception. Some patients are scared by the implications of the diagnosis, or by their understanding of what treatment might involve, but in my experience both are more likely to be wrong than correct. The earlier we catch a cancer, the easier it is to treat and the less onerous and more successful that treatment is likely to be. Unnecessary delay might not only cost you your life, it is likely to complicate your illness.
2. I’ve got cancer so I’m as good as dead
The outlook for the quarter of a million or so people diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK has never been better. The death toll from the big three — cancer of the lung, bowel and breast — has dropped to its lowest level for almost 40 years, despite the fact that more people are developing the disease as our life expectancy increases. Half of all people diagnosed with cancer will still be alive five years later, with cure rates that approach 100 per cent for cancer of the breast, testicle and malignant melanoma that are caught early. And while we may never have a “cure” for cancer, there is widespread optimism among oncologists that we will soon be able to control cancer for years so that people can lead near-normal lives.
3. The treatment is as bad as the disease
Some patients do undergo radical surgery that will leave them disfigured and, or, have aggressive chemotherapy that leaves them bald, sick or housebound, but these are the exception, not the rule. A couple of years ago, I hailed a taxi outside the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. The cabbie recognised me and promptly undid his shirt to show me the intravenous line through which he had just had chemo as an out-patient. He had received his treatment and gone straight back to work, and that is what modern therapy can be like.
It’s not just advances in the cancer drugs that have made them better targeted and, or, more tolerable; there have also been advances in treatments aimed at symptom relief, ranging from cooling caps to reduce the likelihood of hair loss, to new anti-sickness drugs.
4. Morphine is addictive and the beginning of the end
Pain is an issue for many patients with cancer — both as a result of the disease and treatment — and morphine, and related drugs, remain the cornerstone of pain management because they work so well. Used appropriately by people in pain, morphine is rarely addictive and it will not hasten death. Used expertly, it should control the pain while allowing the person to carry on his or her day-to-day life, including working where appropriate.
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5. Hospices are where people go to die
Not so. The modern hospice is a centre of expertise for helping people who are living with life-threatening conditions such as cancer. Most do have in-patient facilities for people who are very ill, but they also run day-patient facilities and drop-in clinics for local people who are looking for guidance or help. Why not visit yours to find out what they do? You are likely to be welcomed with open arms — even if you are not ill.