For the first time ever, the American Cancer Society predicts over 2 million people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. That’s over 5,000 cases a day.
So what lifestyle changes can we make to prevent adding to that number?
Did you know that smoking still accounts for almost 20% of lung cancer cases? That’s over 100,000 preventable lung cancers in men and over 90,000 in women. According to the National Cancer Institute, quitting smoking cuts lung cancer risk by 30% to 50% in 10 years, and cuts mouth cancer risk in half after five years.
The third most preventable cancer? Colorectal cancer.
“It is so incredibly important that we get the word out there that colorectal cancer is something that we can actually prevent,” said Dr. Brooke Glessing, an advanced gastroenterologist.
Glessing said that a precancerous polyp in the colon can take 10 years to develop into cancer, but with frequent screening that risk can be eliminated.
“In everything that we have to deal with in life this is one thing that we can actually intervene upon, and I think that that’s exciting, actually,” Glessing said.
And getting the hepatitis B and HPV vaccines can decrease your risk of anal cancer. The American Cancer Society developed this acronym for when to get screened: “CAUTION.”
- Change in bowels
- A sore that doesn’t heal
- Unusual bleeding
- Thickening or lump
- Indigestion
- Obvious change in wart or mole
- Nagging cough
“I think the more we talk about it, the more we educate people about it, the greater likelihood that people will actually come in and get screened,” Glessing said.
Researchers say other factors that increase your risk of cancer include excessive body weight, consumption of alcohol, and ultraviolet radiation.