DuBose Law Firm, PLLC

Main navigation

You are here: Home / Archives for Cancer prevention

Cancer prevention

World Cancer Day for Awareness, Education, and Action

By

Today is World Cancer Day, a multifaceted project begun in 2000 by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). This organization is a long-time leader in uniting people and governments in ways to reduce cancers globally. Their mission encompasses the world to provide cancer diagnoses, treatments, and care to all people – without regard to location, income, ethnicity or gender.

February 4th, 2000 was the day of its adoption at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris. Since that day, World Cancer Day is observed every February 4th as a day throughout the world for people to recommit to striving for a world without cancer.

What can be done?

• Individuals: It starts with one person, ourselves. Get regular checkups. Keep current on new developments for diagnosing and screening for cancers. Notice any signs or symptoms and have them checked. Many cancers are survivable if diagnosed early.

• Health professionals: If you are a health professional, keep abreast of innovative and up-to-date medical news about cancers. Since early detection is critical, a symptom could go unnoticed, or even misdiagnosed, if outdated knowledge led to a wrong conclusion.

• Governments: Through the ability to educate large population segments, governments can emphasize awareness, early detection, and screening. In fact, February is National Cancer Prevention Month in the US. This creates awareness throughout the country.

Because cultural beliefs can vary among countries and populations, communities have the ability to allay fears and teach good health practices.

What actions can you take for World Cancer Day?

On the World Cancer Day website is a 21 day challenge in which you can participate. It takes 21 days to create a habit, so for each of these days you’ll be sent emails with suggestions on how best to succeed at your commitment. There are five challenges from which you can choose:

• Focus on my health

• Support someone I know with cancer

• Speak up about cancer

• Get informed about cancer

• Help eliminate cervical cancer

An important point to remember, written in the World Cancer Day website:

“Whoever you are – a cancer survivor, co-worker, a carer, a friend, a leader, healthcare worker, teacher or student – you have the power to take action for a cancer free world.”

What Can You Do to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer?

By

There are many ways to possibly reduce your risk of cancer. The good news is that since 1991, cancer deaths have declined 31%. That is good news, but there were still over 1,785,000 newly diagnosed cancer cases in the US in 2020. According to an American Cancer Society study, at least 42% of these – 750,000 – were potentially preventable. Today is the first day of National Cancer Prevention Month, held every February. This is a good time to assess your health and determine ways you can reduce your risk of cancer.

How can you reduce your risk of cancer?

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are seven tips that anyone can do and at the top of the list is taking charge of your own health. Review these known guidelines and see if you can make changes in your lifestyle.

  1. Limit exposure to toxins: About 90 percent of lung cancer is caused by smoking or by spending time with others who do smoke. Another source for lung cancer is through inhalation of asbestos fibers. Asbestos can also lead to mesothelioma, a deadly disease. This can be through certain occupations, products – even cosmetics – that still contain asbestos. It can also occur through renovations of homes built before 1980. If there is a chance of asbestos in any products, contact an abatement professional. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, but limit your exposure to any toxin.
  2. Eat a healthy diet: Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. Meanwhile, alcohol can increase your chances of getting liver, breast, and colorectal cancers. Eating processed meats can also increase risks of some types of cancer.
  3. Be active and watch your weight: For best results physically and reducing your risk of cancer, have at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity. More is better. Not maintaining a healthy weight can increase the possibility of breast, prostate, lung, colon and kidney cancers.
  4. Watch your time in the sun: That includes tanning beds. Use sunscreen of at least an SPF or 30 and reapply generously every two hours. Cover up with dark or bright loosely fitting fabrics when possible. These reflect more ultraviolet radiation. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. the sun is strongest and most dangerous. If possible, stay in the shade.
  5. Utilize the vaccines available: Hepatitis B has a vaccination to lessen the risk of acquiring this disease that can lead to liver cancer. Ask your doctor if this vaccine is right for you. There is also a vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV can lead to cervical and genital cancers in addition to squamous cell cancers of the head and neck. This vaccine is geared to both boys and girls aged 11 and 12. There is also a newly approved vaccine, Gardasil 9, for males and females aged 9 to 45.
  6. Stay away from risky behaviors: Don’t share needles as this can result in HIV as well as hepatitis B and hepatitis C – these can heighten the risk of liver cancer. Practice safe sex by limiting sexual partners and use condoms. With many contacts, the chance of acquiring HIV, AIDS, or HPV rises. These diseases can lead to a number of cancers.
  7. Visit your doctor: Pay attention to your body so you can quickly recognize changes. This, plus regular checkups and screenings, can catch many cancers at an early stage which leads to more positive outcomes.

National Cancer Prevention Month: An opportunity to learn and improve our health

Every February is an opportunity to revisit out successes and failures in dealing with all types of cancers. This is an exciting time of progress as researchers make new discoveries and develop new treatments. It’s also a time to think of new ways to involve people in their own healthcare solutions.

To access more information on the statistics from 2020, the American Cancer Society website is a great resource. Below is the latest news on current and future developments to reduce your risk of cancer from the Cancer Network:

  • Over the next century, successful implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) elimination strategy could reduce cervical cancer mortality by almost 99% and save more than 62 million women’s lives.
  • A recent study determined circulating tumor cells were associated with melanoma relapse, suggesting that this form of liquid biopsy could help identify patients who would benefit from adjuvant therapy.
  • According to researchers, when individuals quit smoking it not only stops further damage from accruing, but it also may lead to the reawakening of lung cells that were not damaged by tobacco carcinogens.
  • A new AI system could possibly surpass human experts in the prediction of breast cancer, potentially leading to enhanced screening results and earlier identification of the disease. 
  • Online and digital videos were found to play a key role in cancer education, leading to increased knowledge and interventions, however access for vulnerable populations needs to be improved. 
  • Engaging in the recommended amount of leisure-time physical activity (7.5-15 MET hours/week) was found to be associated with a lower risk for 7 different cancer types.
  • Greater adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) cancer prevention recommendations appeared to be associated with decreased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk for both African Americans and whites.
  • A blood-based screening test, presented at the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held from January 23-25, in San Francisco, California, could potentially diagnose multiple cancer types earlier, including gastrointestinal cancers across stages at high sensitivity.

Potential for great progress in cancer prevention

So much good news, but still a huge number of people suffering and dying from cancer. You have read of steps which could prevent, or get an early and more treatable diagnosis. Each one of us has a responsibility to do what we can to stay healthy and to encourage our family and friends. While we cannot prevent every cancer with our due diligence, much can be accomplished.

If you recognized yourself in the seven tips from Mayo Clinic, make a plan to reduce your risk of cancer by changing at least one bad habit or behavior before the 2022 National Cancer Prevention Month.

Proactive Cancer Prevention

By

Does cancer prevention mean never getting cancer? Not necessarily, but it can decrease your chances immensely. It all begins with you.

Proactive cancer prevention

Life, procrastination, even denial possibly get in the way of doing what we know we should do to be healthy individuals. Annual checkups, knowing our family’s health history, eating healthy foods, and exercising are just a few areas that can affect our health. What else can be done to protect overall health and even deter cancer?

First is the use of tobacco products

There is no safe amount of smoking. A study showed that even smoking fewer than one cigarette each day resulted in a 64 percent increase in death over people who never smoked. The more cigarettes smoked, the higher the percentage as it climbs to an 87 percent higher death risk when smoking between one and 10 per day versus never smoked.

Eating an overall healthy diet is key

Studies show that instead of focusing on one type of food or beverage as “good” or “bad”, it’s the entire diet over a long period of time that most affects our health. This nutrient intake includes supplements as well.  Supplements cannot replace the benefits of ingesting nutrients through foods – and can sometimes even be a detriment. Eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans and limit refined sugars and processed meats to reduce the possibility of acquiring cancer.

Premature death associated with extreme obesity

What is extreme obesity? In general, it is when a person is 100 pounds or more over their recommended weight for their height. Since this is usually measured in BMI rankings, it was found that people in the 40.0 – 44.9 BMI category lost over six years from their normal life span. Those at an even higher level of 55.0 – 59.9 BMI lost almost 14 years of life. To compare, smokers and extremely obese individuals had about the same years of life lost. These losses are generally due to heart issues and cancer.

Breast cancer prevention

Limit alcohol consumption. Latest recommendation to prevent breast cancer is to drink no more that one drink per day. Alcohol increases the risk of breast, colon, lung, kidney and liver cancers.

Stay active regularly.  Aim for 150 minutes each week with moderate activity or 75 minutes of aerobic activity. This will burn calories and also keep blood flowing.

Weigh the risks of hormone therapy over the rewards. If you decide to proceed, stay under a doctor’s monitoring as combination hormone therapy can increase risks if used for more than 3-5 years.

Protect yourself in the sun

Melanoma can be a vicious cancer, so protecting yourself when outdoors pays big dividends. This protection needs to be used on cloudy days as well as sunny. Stay in the shade, use a minimum of SPR 30 and reapply frequently – especially when going in and out of water. Cover skin when outdoors using tightly woven fabrics in bright or dark colors. Finally, completely avoid tanning beds or sunlamps. These will damage your skin and bring about skin cancer just as much as the sun.

Certain behaviors create risks

Hepatitis B increases risk of liver cancer. The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for people at risk through intravenous drugs, people with sexually transmitted infections, and people exposed through their occupation in health care or public safety.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus. It can lead to cervical cancers and squamous cell cancers on the head and neck. The HPV vaccine is recommended for girls and boys 11 and 12 and the Gardasil 0 for adults ages 9 to 45.

Practice safe sex. This will aid in protection against cancers of liver, lung, and various genital cancers. \

Don’t share needles. This behavior can lead to diseases that increase the risk of liver cancer.

Environmental cancer prevention

Many people still do not realize the dangers that may lurk in homes and offices built before 1978. For decades, asbestos was used in multiple ways – for insulation, tiles, mastic, shingles, popcorn ceilings, the list goes on. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Though it is primarily dangerous when disturbed, allowing fibers to float and be inhaled or land on clothing or furniture, it poses a hazard within any pre-1978 building.  For that reason, any type of renovation, or accident, or weather event that disturbs an asbestos laden material is dangerous. Inhalation can lead to lung cancer, asbestosis, and the fatal disease, mesothelioma. Always employ a professional abatement company when a project may involve asbestos. They will test any suspicious materials, and if necessary, clean and dispose of all contaminated debris.

There are other dangers that may be in your home. Search the Internet and you’ll find articles and preventative methods on talc (may contain asbestos), cleaners, makeup, as well as other products to check. A good place to start is ewg.org, a website of the Environmental Working Group that “empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment.” Their research and education on common products can be eye-opening.

Begin today

No one wants to experience the symptoms or go through the treatments for cancers. There is so much we can do to lessen the risks – more than written here. What can you do to decrease your – and your family’s – risk for cancer? It’s worth making changes in lifestyle. Proactive cancer prevention can save your life.