Results of a survey released 19 August 2008 by Cancer Council SA, show that the majority of South Australians incorrectly believe that factors such as pollution, pesticides and stress are the major causes of cancer.

Chief Executive Cancer Council SA, Associate Professor Brenda Wilson, said that cancer is the disease most feared by Australians, yet a surprising number of South Australians are more worried about risk factors that have little or no effect, than about factors that are major causes of cancer.

“The link between cancer and environmental factors such as pollution and pesticides is not strong, with scientists believing these factors contribute to only about two per cent of cancers diagnosed.

“More than half of those surveyed are also concerned about the link between stress and cancer but there is no conclusive evidence linking cancer and stress,” she said.

The biggest cause of cancer in our community is UV radiation from the sun, with almost 26,000 South Australians diagnosed with skin cancer, including melanoma, each year.

“What is surprising is that only a quarter of people surveyed highlighted UV radiation as a cause of cancer. Many South Australians are more inclined to believe myths than reality when it comes to what causes cancer,” said Associate Professor Wilson.

While the link between mobile phone use and cancer is not proven, the community has held concerns about the health impact of mobile phones for many years. The survey found that this concern is decreasing with 14 per cent, of people holding this concern, a reduction of four per cent.

While the report highlighted that many South Australian’s fear factors where there is no or little evidence of cancer risk, it also highlights that they are not aware of factors that are strongly linked to cancer, such as diet and physical activity.

“The report highlighted that a large proportion of the community perceive factors such as pollution and pesticides, to be a higher cancer risk than obesity – when obesity has been proven to significantly increase the risk of developing cancer,” said Associate Professor Wilson.

There is research evidence showing that obesity can be attributed to 39 per cent of cancers of the uterus, 37 per cent of cancers of the oesophagus, 25 per cent of kidney cancers, 11 per cent of colorectal cancers and nine per cent of post-menopausal breast cancers.

“There are many causes of cancer that we do know about, such as tobacco use, sun exposure, genetic risk factors and diet and lifestyle.  The survey highlights that more needs to be done to educate the community about the causes of cancer and how to reduce the risk of developing the disease that 23 South Australians are diagnosed with each day,” said Associate Professor Brenda Wilson.

The survey was taken through face to face interviews from approximately 3,000 respondents statewide.

Key findings of the research:

• Only 24 per cent of respondents reported UV radiation as being a cause of cancer; UV radiation is the biggest cause of cancer
• Pollution is perceived as the second most important cancer risk factor with 75 percent of respondents drawing this link; the link between pollution and cancer is not strong
• Pesticides are  seen as the fourth biggest cause of cancer, though in reality these environmental factors contribute to only two per cent of cancers
• Over half of respondents believe stress causes cancer though there is insufficient evidence to suggest there is any link between the two
• The fear of a link between mobile phones and cancer is decreasing.