Educational Articles
Cancer Prevention TIPS Primary Care Physician
Eat well, get fit, stop smoking Ñ
prevent cancer -If you wanted to start today
to reduce your chances of getting cancer, what would
you have to do? Lose excess weight, get more exercise,
eat a healthy diet and quit smoking.
Those basic behavior changes would have a tremendous
impact on the incidence of the most prevalent types of
cancer Ñ lung, breast, prostate and colon cancer
Ñ says Graham Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., associate
director of Prevention and Control at the Siteman
Cancer Center at Washington University School of
Medicine in St. Louis and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. ""We
estimate that more than 50 percent of cancer incidence
could be prevented if we act today on what we already
know,"" Colditz says.
Every year, more than 500,000 Americans die from
cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimates that on
average each person who dies from cancer loses 15 years
of life, and altogether cancer deaths were responsible
for nearly 8.7 million person-years of life lost in
2003, the most recent year for which the data were
available.
""The loss of life and earning potential and the social
impact of cancer are enormous,"" Colditz says.
""Reducing risk by adopting lifestyle changes like
quitting smoking and losing weight isn't always easy,
but it may help to remember that these behavior changes
can also reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes,
stroke and osteoporosis.""
Colditz's recommendations for preventing cancer also
include avoiding excess alcohol consumption, taking a
multivitamin with folate and protecting yourself from
too much sun and from sexually transmitted
diseases.
Colditz recently became leader of the Siteman Center's
cancer prevention program having previously headed the
Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention.
Physical fitness
Estimates hold that 20 to 30 percent of the most common
cancers in the United States stem from being overweight
or physically inactive. Research has linked weight gain
to common cancers such as breast and colon cancer, as
well as uterine, esophageal and renal cancers. ""Women
who lose weight in their adult years reduce their risk
of breast cancer significantly,"" Colditz notes.
Furthermore, he asserts that a clear connection exists
between higher levels of physical activity and lower
incidence of cancer. ""For example, even after
diagnosis of breast cancer, physical activity has an
impact on recurrence and survival,"" he says.
Consumption
What people breathe in, drink or eat can influence
whether they get cancer. It's well known that smoking
is associated with lung cancer, but less commonly
understood is that smokers also are more likely to get
colorectal cancer as well as kidney, pancreatic,
cervical and stomach cancers.
""The rate at which risk drops after stopping smoking
varies for different cancer sites,"" Colditz says.
""But it's very clear that within five to 10 years
there will be a 50 percent reduction in cancer risk
compared to people who keep smoking.""
Although some recent evidence has suggested that wine
and other alcoholic beverages may contain beneficial
components, other data show that overconsumption of
alcohol increases the possibility of getting oral,
esophageal, breast and other cancers.
Eating a plant-based diet can help protect against
cancer. People who eat diets rich in fruits and
vegetables have a lower danger of cancers of the colon,
mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach and lung. Diets high
in red meat and animal fat increase the probability of
certain cancers. ""There's a strong, consistent
relation between higher intake of red meat and higher
risk of colon cancer,"" Colditz notes.
High intake of folate, a B vitamin, may protect a
person from cancer, and epidemiological studies suggest
that low folate status may play an important role early
in cancer development. Colditz says experts recommend
taking a multivitamin that contains folate every
day.
Other factors
Reducing long-term exposure to the sun and to
artificial light from tanning beds, booths and sun
lamps can lower the danger of getting non-melanoma skin
cancer. Avoiding burns and other damage from these
sources Ñ especially in children and teens
Ñ can reduce the chances of getting melanoma
skin cancer.
Certain viral infections have also been strongly linked
to cancer development. Some of the most important of
these are human papillomavirus (HPV), a cause of
cervical cancer, hepatitis B and C viruses, major
causes of liver cancer, and Helicobacter pylori, which
accounts for the majority of cases of stomach cancer.
HPV can be spread by sexual contact, and
vaccine-conferred immunity results in a marked decrease
in precancerous lesions.
As with the new cervical cancer vaccine, advances in
chemoprevention will likely add to the prevention
potential that comes from healthy lifestyle choices.
""In the future we'll be seeing a range of new
preventative strategies,"" Colditz indicates. ""For
example, the National Cancer Institute has a trial
looking at selenium as a supplement to prevent cancer.
And research shows that antiestrogens may reduce the
risk of breast cancer by 60 to 80 percent in women
after menopause.""