CancerThe popular TV variety-show host was grim but calm. He faced the cameras and said bluntly: "I have cancer."Masataka Itsumi’’s disclosure may be the latest sign that the shame associated with cancer is finally breaking down in a country where, unlike the United Sates, the topic has traditionally been taboo.Cancer is the country’’s No.1 killer, chaining more than 230,000 lives a year. Despite the number of people affected, the subject has long been concealed in secrecy and silence.As a rule, Japanese are reluctant to tell anyone other than family if they have cancer. And doctors often lie to patients about a cancer diagnosis, fearing they would be depressed and weakened by the truth. Polls indicate that most people would prefer to be told if they have cancer. But health authorities have estimated as few as one in five cancer patients is given a truthful diagnosis. "The patient is very afraid to hear of having cancer, so many doctors just don’t tell," said one doctor. " But if we don’t tell the truth, it’’s bad for the relationship between doctor and patient. So I think this is beginning to change". He said he believed the intense public interest in the Itsumi case reflected pent-up curiosity and concern about the subject.There are other signs of greater openness in confronting cancer. Support groups for cancer victims, once unknown, have sprung up. The plot of a recent film revolved around a man with cancer. An unusually powerful television advertisement, appealing for bone-marrow donations, features a young woman who has since died of leukemia.But secrecy about cancer is still common. In Japan, serious illness is considered embarrassing. People worry about causing suffering and expense for their families, or discomforting their colleagues. Itsumi, in fact, began his news conference by apologizing.Other factors contribute to the taboo on talk about cancer. There is a cultural tendency toward restraint on discussing personal matters and stoicism in facing problems. Even if patients sense something is very wrong despite a good diagnosis, most do not press their doctors or seek a second opinion. Doctors are granted deep respect in a society that discourages questioning authority.
Which of the following is NOT true of the Japanese
A．They are free to discuss personal matters.
B．They seldom question authority.
C．They prefer to be told if they have cancer.
D．They consider serious illness embarrassing.
