If you were diagnosed with cancer, would you tell family and friends?

I think the thing I would worry about is my family and friends being really upset and I wouldn't want to cause them pain, but also I wouldn't want to be treated like a baby either and having everyone feeling sorry for me because I had cancer, I think that's why my answer is 'I don't know'.

That's true. I'm just old enough to remember when people didn't mention the word 'cancer.' It used to be a death sentence. Because I remember this and how it was hushed up, I prefer things the way they are now.

I have a friend who doesn't know what cancers run in her family. Her mother had a hysterectomy but she doesn't know the reason for the operation and the mother is dead now. She remembers her maternal grandmother had ovarian cancer and it was fatal. There's no one living who remembers these details, unfortunately. Therefore she has unknown risks for ovarian cancer. It would be better had they all discussed their risks for ovarian cancer while they were all still living. My friend has a sword hanging over her head now.

There should be no shame associated with cancer. No one deserves to be ill, not even smokers who develop lung cancer. It's like Type I Diabetes. No one blames children when they develop diabetes. They just have it.

There should be a third answer to this poll, 'I don't know', as I truly don't know if I would or not. I don't think you can know what you would do unless you were actually diagnosed with cancer.

I'm a survivor of three different cancers: two different forms of skin cancer and ovarian cancer which required six months of chemotherapy. At first I thought I could pay for my skin cancer treatment myself and keep it off the insurance radar, but the pathologist's bill was more than three months salary for the very first removal. So that idea exploded in the hangar.

I'm in a marriage I would otherwise leave, but with ovarian cancer in my medical history there's no chance I could ever get my own health insurance. I almost left my husband six months before my diagnosis...in all honesty if I were in better health I'd likely be divorced by now. I'm fortunate that my husband is a good person. He stood by me while I had my treatment and he was supportive to the best of his ability.

Once upon a time cancer was a big dark shameful secret no one mentioned, perhaps for fear it would get them, too. When my head was shaved because my hair was falling out due to chemo, my cancer was not a secret. Wigs are too hot to wear in Florida at any time of the year, because the humidity is killer. I've no recollection of the vast number of times I said, 'I have cancer,' during my treatment. Now I tell everyone, 'I'm in remission,' because it's true. I had cancer, I was treated, and I'm in remission. It felt so good to write that, I wrote it again.

Ovarian cancer has a 75% fatality rate. However, they tell me that I'll be one of the lucky 25% who survive. My cancer was discovered in stage 2. Yes, having cancer sucks, but there are worse things in the world. (What could be worse than having cancer? Outliving your children, for one. Outliving every one of your friends. Bearing responsibility for someone else's death. Do you see the point?)

When one has cancer, one finds out how kind one's friends and loved ones are as well as what's important in life. In some ways having cancer can be a blessing. One also discovers what's important in life. The outpouring of love and support is wonderful. Complete strangers offered to pray for me. That was such a loving gift.

Ask your doctor about your risks for ovarian cancer. It's a deadly silent killer. Breast cancer only has an 8% fatality rate. Pap tests have nothing to do with diagnosing ovarian cancer. The symptoms are subtle and easily mistaken for other illnesses. Ovarian cancer is much more likely to kill you, and most women know nothing about it. Ask questions and find out about your risks. Please, save your own lives.

The short answer to this question is that I told everyone about my cancer when I had it. I tell people about my cancer history now as well. The long answer is that ovarian cancer could happen to you, too. Ask your doctor about your risks for this silent killer. Perhaps my experience can help save some other woman's life. If that comes to pass, then all my suffering will be worthwhile.

Sorry Susan, but I think this is a terrible question and makes the assumption that one size fits all in cancer which is simply not the case. Until a person is dealing face to face with their own personal type of cancer they will not know what they will decide to do. What people imagine cancer to be is very different from reality, and only those who have been in that reality can understand what takes place. Hollywood's version does not begin to touch reality. Employment status also is a major factor in the United States where healthcare is typically dependent upon employers and employers can and do fire people for having a cancer diagnosis. People who wish to remain private are sometimes forced to go public due to the extreme financial hardships imposed by cancer, regardless of insurance status, and the need to raise funds to survive. Cancer isn't easy, and neither is the answer to this question.