Among the more bizarre myths that young people believe are that cancer can be caught through kissing and that eating too much ketchup can cause the disease.
Out of 520 13- to 24-year-olds surveyed, more than half believe people are born with a cancer gene, more than a third believe that mobile phones cause brain tumours and a fifth think that eating red meat causes cancer.
Being kicked in the testicles was believed to be a cause of cancer among 12 per cent of those surveyed and four per cent believe large amounts of ketchup causes the disease.
Simon Davies, Teenage Cancer Trust chief executive, said: "Cancer is a complex and frightening disease so it is easy to understand why such strange myths exist. Sometimes people are even surprised to hear teenagers get cancer at all."
Top 20 cancer myths
- We are all born with the cancer gene 53 per cent
- You are never really cured of cancer 37 per cent
- Mobile phones cause brain tumours 36 per cent
- Living near electricity pylons gives you cancer 35 per cent
- The colour of your skin determines your cancer risks 22 per cent
- Having cancer makes your hair fall out 22 per cent
- Eating red meat gives you cancer 20 per cent
- If you have cancer when pregnant, your baby will get it 19 per cent
- Keeping a mobile phone in your bra gives you breast cancer 15 per cent
- Getting kicked in the testicles gives you testicular cancer 12 per cent
- If you don’t inhale when smoking you won’t get cancer 12 per cent
- You can catch cancer from toilet seats 9 per cent
- Eating coloured jelly babies gives you cancer 8 per cent
- Being fat gives you cancer 7 per cent
- You can catch cancer from kissing 6 per cent
- You always die from cancer 5 per cent
- Eating too much tomato ketchup gives you cancer 4 per cent
- Only babies get leukaemia 4 per cent
- Only old people get cancer 3 per cent
- Too much masturbation gives you cancer 3 per cent
