Common questions about cancer
Short, referenced answers to the questions patients and families ask most.
Diagnosis, treatment and common beliefs
Can childhood cancer be cured?Most childhood cancers are curable, and 5-year survival in Iran has reached 81%. The most important thing a family can do is complete the treatment and give the daily tablets regularly; abandoning treatment destroys the chance of cure.Does opium cause cancer?Yes. The WHO's IARC classifies opium use as a definite carcinogen (Group 1). In the Golestan study, opium raised the risk of cancer by 40% and death from heart disease by 81%.I found a lump in my breast. What should I do?Any new lump in the breast or armpit, even in young women, should be examined and imaged within a few weeks. In Iran nearly half of patients are diagnosed late, at stage 3 or higher.My faecal occult blood test was positive. What should I do?If your faecal immunochemical test (FIT) is positive, you need a colonoscopy. In Isfahan only 20% of these people had one, although a quarter of them had polyps or cancer.Should I be tested for H. pylori? (Preventing stomach cancer)If a first-degree relative has had stomach cancer, get tested for Helicobacter pylori, and if positive, finish the treatment and test again. Treating this germ cut the risk of stomach cancer by more than half.
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