Cancer – how much do you know? A quiz

Just as cancer affects everyone in different ways, all people have the power to take various actions to reduce the impact that cancer has on individuals, families and communities. One way of taking action is to have knowledge. This is your opportunity to test your knowledge about cancer. Take the quiz and find out.

The correct answers appear below.

Questions

1. Does a lump in your breast always mean you have breast cancer?
A. Yes
B. No

2. Diets high in fruit can cut cancer risks.
A. True
B. False

3. Aside from smoking, which of these are known to be a major cause of cancer?
A. Hormones in beef
B. Obesity
C. Artificial sweeteners
D. Genetically modified foods
E. Cell phones

4. Which cancer kills the most men worldwide?
A. Prostate cancer
B. Lung cancer
C. Stomach cancer
D. Skin cancer

5. Most cancers are hereditary.
A. True
B. False

6. Melanoma is a type of:
A. Skin cancer
B. Lung cancer
C. Blood cancer
D. Testicular cancer

7. Coffee increases cancer risks.
A. True
B. False

8. Cancer is the result of the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells anywhere in the body.
A. True
B. False

9. Which of the viruses below cause cancer resulting from chronic infection?
A. Herpes simplex viruses
B. Human papilloma viruses
C. Hepatitis B virus
D. B and C

10. Today 50% of all cancers can be cured.
A. True
B. False

Answers

1. No. According to the American Cancer Society, four out of five biopsies of breast lumps are benign, meaning that they are harmless and certainly not breast cancer.

2. True. While there’s no single food you can eat to prevent or fight cancer on its own, a balanced plant-based diet filled with a variety of vegetables, fruits, soy, nuts, whole grains and beans can help lower your risk for many types of cancer. Eating a colourful variety gives you the best protection.

3. Obesity. Extra fat in the body can have harmful effects, such as producing hormones and growth factors that affect the way our cells work. This can raise the risk of several diseases, including cancer.

4. Lung cancer. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the top five most common types of cancer that kill men, in order of frequency, are lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer and oesophageal cancer.

5. False. Cancers are not caused by just one gene. Cancer is usually an illness of older people and most cancers occur when several genetic changes occur in a cell. This is called sporadic cancer. But some people inherit faulty (mutated) genes which make their chance of developing a particular cancer higher than normal.

6. Skin cancer. It begins in melanocytes – the cells that produce the pigment melanin that colours the skin, hair and eyes. Melanocytes also form moles, where melanoma often develops.

7. False. Studies show that coffee may in some cases play a protective role in cancers

8. True. Cancer results from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells anywhere in the body (blood, brain, bone, or any organ) and many of these abnormal cells are capable of invading other tissues.

9. B and C. About 20% of all cancers that occur worldwide are caused by chronic infections mainly caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV). HPV viruses can cause cervical, oropharyngeal (of the mouth and pharynx), penile, vaginal and other types of cancer while HBV is associated with developing liver cancer.

10. True. Half of people diagnosed with cancer today will effectively be cured. Dramatic improvements in diagnosis and treatment meant the disease could soon be treated as a chronic condition, instead of a death sentence.

 

Sources

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=cancer-quiz-test-your-knowledge
http://www.aicr.org/can-prevent/what-you-can-do/quiz-cancer-prevention-knowledge.html
http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/quizzes/test-your-knowledge-about-cancer-risk
http://www.medicinenet.com/cancer_quiz/quiz.htm
http://www.medindia.net/medical-quiz/quiz-on-cancer.asp