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ASCO survey: 24% of Americans incorporate cancer prevention into daily lives
Most Americans lack knowledge of best cancer prevention practices, the dangers of e-cigarettes and available end-of-life care despite an abundance of published data, according to results of ASCO’s third annual Cancer Opinions Survey.
Additionally, fewer than one-quarter of survey respondents indicated they incorporate cancer prevention practices into their daily lives.
“Our survey helps us better understand Americans’ views on a range of cancer-related issues and exposes areas that are important to address,” Howard A. Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO, president of ASCO, said in a press release. “This year’s findings raise concerns about the current state of cancer prevention in America, and strongly support the need for more education on the topic, beginning at a young age.”
The survey — conducted online between July 9 and Aug. 10 — included 4,001 adults (53% women, 63% white) plus an oversample of 814 adults with cancer, for a total of 1,009 respondents (54% women, 83% white) who have or previously had cancer.
Cancer risk
More than half (57%) of those surveyed expressed concern about developing cancer in their lifetime. However, only 24% indicated they care deeply and incorporate cancer prevention practices into their daily lives.
Most adults (81%) agreed that a wealth of information is available on the causes of cancer, but 66% did not know which sources to trust when looking for this information. Another 64% agreed that it is hard to know the most important things to do to prevent cancer.
Twenty-two percent of adults had talked with a physician about their cancer risk, and 18% talked specifically with a physician about how to reduce their risk, whereas 24% searched online for this information.
Although most of those surveyed agreed that smoking cigarettes (81%), family history (69%) and sun exposure (63%) increase risk for cancer, fewer knew about other lifestyle factors that increase risk, including obesity (36%) and alcohol (31%).
Misconceptions regarding causes of cancer also persist, survey results show. Despite the lack of evidence, 28% percent of adults believed artificial sweeteners cause cancer, 16% thought cell phones cause cancer and 9% believed caffeine causes cancer.
“Tobacco use, diet, sun exposure, alcohol consumption and other lifestyle choices can have a major impact on people’s risk [for] developing many common cancers, or of cancer recurring,” Richard L. Schilsky, MD, FACP, FASCO, ASCO chief medical officer, said in a press release. “[Although] it’s never too late to make healthy choices, it’s most critical for young people to take action to reduce their cancer risk [because] it can take decades for the disease to develop.”
E-cigarettes
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents indicated they have not tried e-cigarettes, and 13% reported using them regularly.
About one in five parents (17%) of children aged 9 to 17 years reported that they know their children have tried e-cigarettes; 7% indicated their children are regular users.
The majority of current or former cigarette smokers who used e-cigarettes reported doing so to decrease their use of traditional cigarettes (44%) or to quit smoking traditional cigarettes (41%). Most who used e-cigarettes for these reasons (85%) reported they were very or somewhat helpful.
Although most adults (71%) agreed that e-cigarettes cause cancer, 20% believed they are not addictive and 16% viewed them as harmless.
Financial concerns
Fifty-three percent of adults who have or had cancer — as well as 74% of caregivers for patients with cancer (n = 496) — expressed concern about the affordability of treatment.
To address this issue, a large proportion of all respondents favored allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices directly with drug makers (89%).
Most also believed that the FDA should speed up approvals of generic versions of drugs (87%) and that the U.S. government should regulate the price of cancer drugs, as long as it does not affect the pharmaceutical industry’s investment in development of new therapies (75%).
Access to care
Most respondents who have or had cancer (88%) agreed that they are receiving the best possible cancer care, regardless of where they reside.
However, 34% of those living in rural areas and 22% of those in nonrural areas indicated they have or had to travel too far for treatment. Patients in rural areas reported a longer one-way drive to see their physician (45 minutes vs. 30 minutes).
Thirty-nine percent of respondents who have or had cancer and live in rural areas indicated there aren’t or weren’t enough cancer specialists nearby, and 41% would not know or have known where to go if their cancer care provider closed. ‘
Medical marijuana
Medical marijuana had broad support among those surveyed, with 84% supporting its use by patients with cancer and 76% supporting it for any medical reason.
However, only 13% of those who have or had cancer talked to a physician about acquiring it for symptom management.
Among the cancer population, more than half (56%) who used medical marijuana had difficulty accessing it, whereas 37% had difficulty accessing prescription opioids. Fifty-one percent of medical marijuana users reported that it managed symptoms very well, whereas 47% indicated it worked somewhat well.
Although the percentage of adults who believed that alternative therapies alone can cure cancer decreased from 39% in 2018 to 34% in 2019, nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents believed that alternative therapies are a useful supplement to standard cancer treatment.
End-of -life care
Fifty-three percent of adults surveyed reported that they have thought about end-of-life care. Respondents who have or had cancer (66%), family members and loved ones of patients with cancer (56%), and caregivers (72%) were more likely to have thought about this than those unaffected by cancer (48%).
The vast majority of respondents (91%) agreed it is important to discuss end-of-life care with a physician, and 88% believed it is important to share end-of-life care wishes with a physician.
Only about one in three adults touched by cancer ever discussed end-of-life care with their physician. Additionally, one in five caregivers did not feel prepared to make decisions about end-of-life care for their loved one. Most of these caregivers (70%) wished for more information to help prepare them and their loved one for end-of-life care. – by John DeRosier
Reference:
ASCO 2019 Cancer Opinions Survey. Available at: www.asco.org/sites/new-www.asco.org/files/content-files/blog-release/pdf/2019-ASCO-Cancer-Opinion-Survey-Final-Report.pdf. Accessed Nov. 4, 2019.