Download How to prevent cancer

How to prevent cancer
Cancer kills more people than AIDS,
malaria and TB combined and without
significant improvements
Preventable and curable cancers will
continue to kill millions of people
worldwide
Prevention offers the most costeffective long-term strategy for the
control of cancer as 30-40% of
cancers can be prevented, and onethird of cancers can be cured through
early diagnosis and treatment.
Preventable risk factors
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Tobacco
Obesity
Physical inactivity
Alcohol
Sun exposure
Infections
Pollution
Tobacco
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Tobacco kills more than 5 million people a year, an
average of one person every six seconds.
It accounts for one in ten adult deaths worldwide.
Tobacco use, particularly smoking, is the single
biggest cause of cancer in the world, responsible
for more than a quarter of all cancer deaths,
including cancers of the lung, mouth, throat, nose
and sinuses, liver, pancreas, stomach, cervix,
breast, bowel, kidney and bladder. It also plays a in
the development of a wide range of cardiovascular
and pneumologic diseases.
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Tobacco smoke in enclosed spaces is also
inhaled by non-smokers. In 2004, second
hand smoke was responsible for 600,000
premature deaths (28% of which occurred
in children).
Numerous studies have shown that stopping
tobacco use and creating smoke free
environments greatly reduces the risk of
cancers and other short and long term
health risks.
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Stop smoking, chewing and sniffing
tobacco.
Try to avoid exposure to passive smoke.
Obesity
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Dietary modification is another important approach
to cancer control. There is a link between
overweight and obesity to many types of cancer
such as oesophagus, colorectum, breast,
endometrium and kidney.
Diets high in fruits and vegetables may have a
protective effect against many cancers. Conversely,
excess consumption of red and preserved meat
may be associated with an increased risk of
colorectal cancer.
Healthy eating habits that prevent the development
of diet-associated cancers will also lower the risk of
cardiovascular disease.
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Keep a healthy weight.
Avoid sugary drinks. Limit consumption of energydense foods (particularly processed foods high in
added sugar, or low in fibre, or high in fat)
Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits,
wholegrains, and pulses such as beans
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Limit consumption of red meats (such
as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid
processed meats
Limit consumption of salty foods and
foods processed with salt (sodium)
Don’t use supplements to protect
against cancer
Alcohol
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Alcohol abuse has a major impact on public health.
It is ranked as the fifth leading risk factor for
premature death and disability in the world.
Drinking moderately is key in reducing cancer risk.
However, trends indicate an increase in alcohol
consumption in recent decades, mostly in
developing countries.
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Research has indicated that men who have 2
alcoholic drinks/ day and women who have 1
already have an increased chance of developing
certain cancers. The more alcohol a person
consumes, the higher the risk. Furthermore, risks
due to alcohol use also vary depending the type of
cancer. The strongest association is found between
alcohol and mouth, oesophageal, laryngeal,
pharyngeal, breast and liver cancers. People who
drink heavily in combination with smoking are even
at higher risk for most of these cancers.
Drink in moderation! Limiting the
amount of alcohol you drink is an
effective cancer prevention measure.
Physical inactivity
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Regular physical activity and the
maintenance of a healthy body weight,
along with a healthy diet, will
considerably reduce cancer risk.
30 minutes of physical activity per day
is necessary to reduce your risk of
cancer.
Sun exposure
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Excessive exposure to UV radiation (either from the sun or
from artificial sources such as sun beds) is associated with
sunburn, accelerated skin aging and different types of skin
cancer such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell
carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma.
Between 50 and 90% of skin cancers are caused by excessive
UV exposure.
UV-emitting tanning devices are now also classified as
carcinogenic to humans based on their association with skin
and ocular melanoma cancers
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Avoid excessive sun exposure.
Use sunscreens and protective clothing
Infections
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Infectious agents are responsible for almost 22% of
cancer deaths in the developing world and 6% in
industrialized countries.
Viral hepatitis B and C cause cancer of the liver;
human papilloma virus infection causes cervical
cancer; the bacterium Helicobacter pylori increases
the risk of stomach cancer. In some countries the
parasitic infection schistosomiasis increases the risk
of bladder cancer and in other countries the liver
fluke increases the risk of cholangiocarcinoma of
the bile ducts.
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Preventive measures include
vaccination and prevention of infection
and infestation.
Environmental
carcinogens
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Environmental pollution of air, water and soil with
carcinogenic chemicals accounts for 1–4% of all cancers
(IARC/WHO, 2003).
Exposure to carcinogenic chemicals in the environment
can occur through drinking water or pollution of indoor
and ambient air. Exposure to carcinogens also occurs via
the contamination of food by chemicals, such as
aflatoxins or dioxins.
Indoor air pollution from coal fires doubles the risk of
lung cancer, particularly among non-smoking women.
Worldwide, indoor air pollution from domestic coal fires
is responsible for approximately 1.5% of all lung cancer
deaths.
How to prevent cancer
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Avoid tobacco
Eat healthy
Avoid alcohol
Exercise
Protect yourself from the sun
Vaccinate
Avoid pollution