BOSTON – The Cancer FactFinder, an online resource examining myths and misinformation about cancer, is now available in eight additional languages: Arabic, Creole, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Created by a team from the Zhu Family Center for Global Cancer Prevention at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Center for Cancer Equity and Engagement at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and launched in
2022, the website provides accurate and reliable information about what does and does not cause cancer and helps dispel common misconceptions about the disease.

For each of the more than 60 topics on the website, such as “red meat”, “stress”, “hormone replacement therapy” or “Radon,” the summary provides information about:
 What you may have heard;
 What science tells us;
 How to reduce your risk;
 What this means to me; and
 Sources and links for more information.
Each claim about a topic, such as “red meat causes cancer” also comes with an interpretation of the team’s findings about a claim’s veracity, as noted below.
 Most likely or definitely true: There is sufficient evidence to suggest that the claim is true.
 False—misinformation: There is sufficient evidence to suggest that the claim is false.
 We’re not sure yet—scientists are still working on it: There is not sufficient evidence to say whether the claim is or isn’t true.

The team will continuously update the website with new topics and add additional information to existing topics.  The translations reflect the team’s desire to expand use of the site in the state and beyond.

“Cancer misinformation can negatively impact anyone, no matter what language they speak,” said Timothy Rebbeck, Vincent L. Gregory, Jr. professor of cancer prevention and director of the Zhu Family Center at the Harvard Chan School and professor of medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “It’s important to ensure that everyone can access accurate cancer facts — that’s why we have launched the Cancer FactFinder in many commonly spoken languages.”

All information above provided by the Zhu Family Center for Global Cancer Prevention.