6th February - A new report, which combats urban myths, has found that mobile phones, coffee and deodorants are not likely to cause cancer.

The report was compiled by Australian cancer specialist Professor Brendan Stewart at the University of New South Wales and has been published in the academic journal, Mutation Research Reviews.

Titled "Banding carcinogenic risks in developed countries: A procedural basis for qualitative assessment", the article looked at all available research not only to determine which chemicals or activities were most likely to cause the dreaded disease, but also to find out which are the greatest risk to people.

Based on his findings, Professor Stewart said that coffee, artificial sweeteners, deodorants, dental fillings and breast implants were extremely unlikely to cause the disease.

However, those most likely to cause cancer are smoking, drinking alcohol and deliberate exposure to sunlight.

"In terms of most deaths caused and the potential to save the most lives, cigarettes are number one," News.com.au quoted Prof Stewart as saying.

"Cigarettes are the only consumer product which is lethal when used in accordance with the manufacturer's intention. In terms of proven risk, tobacco smoking and asbestos are equal in terms of the nature of the evidence. But in terms of numbers of people dying, tobacco is far worse."

Also likely to cause the disease are air pollution, solarium tanning, smoking marijuana and some chemicals in processed meats.