Cancer Can Fool You

Look at recent paparazzi photos of actor Patrick Swazye and you’d swear he never received a pancreatic cancer health diagnosis just a few months ago. Yet looking at Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late 2003, and his dramatic weight loss as of late has people worried. We erroneously assume that because Swayze looks so great, he must be beating cancer—and the opposite must be true for Jobs.

No so, say doctors. When it comes to cancer, looks can be deceiving. For starters, everyone responds to treatment different. Chemotherapy makes some look worse than others, so just because someone is suffering some of the side effects of chemo, such as weight loss or hair loss, it could mean the treatment is actually going really well. In addition, some people who are more particular about their looks may go to great lengths to keep up their appearance as much as possible. On the outside, they may look great, but on the inside they could feel positively miserable.

Just like everyone else, cancer patients have “good” and “bad” days. What does seem to affect cancer survival rates is having a healthy lifestyle. Those who are relatively healthy before a cancer diagnosis seem to respond best to treatment.

Does how you feel affect how you look and vice versa? [ABC News]