Nearly half of all cancer deaths are preventable.
That remarkable news comes with an equally stunning
corollary -- the key to success doesn't rest with
some undiscovered therapies or treatments. Much of
cancer's toll can be reduced with simple precautions,
such as lifestyle changes and routine screenings.
But somehow that message isn't getting through to
enough people.
"We can't beg people to change their behavior,
to make the lifestyle changes that we know will reduce
cancer risk," said Carolyn "Bo" Aldige,
president of the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation,
in Alexandria, Va.
The biggest threat, of course, is smoking. "You'd
have to live on another planet not to know smoking
causes cancer," Aldige said.
Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death
in U.S. society. Tobacco causes nearly one in five
deaths in the United States, killing about 438,000
Americans each year, according to the
American Cancer Society.
Yet, about 45 million adults still smoke -- about
23 percent of men and 19 percent of women.
Need more proof that much of cancer's misery is self-inflicted?
Experts estimate that about one in three of the 564,830
deaths from all forms of cancer this year will be
related to poor nutrition, inactivity, overweight
and obesity.
Research has shown that "excess calories cause
the mutations that start genes going down the pathways
that cause cells to divide out of control, and that's
what cancer is," Aldige said. "If everybody
today magically had the appropriate body mass index,
we'd start seeing a lot less colorectal, breast, and
prostate cancer," she said.
But there's a highly effective second line of defense
against each of these cancers and many others -- screenings.
Doctors can test for these cancers, as well as testicular,
cervical and other kinds of malignancies, and often
catch them before they've gone too far. And taking
the tests usually requires little time and causes
only minimal discomfort.
Eventually, there will even be screenings for lung
cancer, probably in the form of "spiral CT"
scanning, using special equipment to obtain multiple
cross-sectional images of the organs and tissues of
the chest, Aldige said.
Then there's melanoma, the deadly skin cancer that's
on the rise. An estimated 62,190 new cases of the
disease will be diagnosed in the United States this
year, and 7,910 people will die of it, according to
the American Cancer Society.
But melanoma is highly curable if it's caught in
its early stages. The best way to do that: Check your
own skin about once a month and become familiar with
the pattern of moles, freckles, and other marks so
you'll spot any changes. And a skin exam should be
part of a routine cancer checkup by a doctor or qualified
health professional.
Many people know that too much sun causes skin cancer,
and they use sun block to protect themselves. But
not many know that you need some sun every
day -- about 15 to 20 minutes' worth, especially younger
people, for vitamin D. The trick is to go out before
10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. during warm weather months,
Aldige said.
Vitamins play an important role in cancer prevention
as well, she said, and eating properly and taking
recommended supplements can help.
Yet, the overall problem isn't just one of people
refusing to do what's good for them, said Dr. Ahmedin
Jemal, program director of cancer occurrence at the
American Cancer Society.
"It is access to care," he said. "Recently,
the federal government has made access to breast and
cervical cancer screenings available to women. But
a large percentage of the population is uninsured,
and it is a question of access and care," he
said.
"We cannot completely prevent cancer,"
Jemal added, "but we can substantially improve
by doing the right thing."
