Minimising cancer risks
Minimising cancer risks
Smoking is the best known cause of cancer - but there are other factors, such as diet, alcohol, sun damage and being overweight
There are things we can all do that will maximise our health and well-being and which may also minimise our cancer risk. In order to do this we must know a bit about what causes cancer.
What causes cancer?
There are some known causes and some known risk factors for cancer. A risk factor is something which can increase your chance of developing cancer ? it doesn?t mean you?ll definitely get it, just as not having that risk factor doesn?t mean you definitely won?t.
Causes and risk factors include:
Diet
Lifestyle
The environment
Some viruses
Research continues to try to learn more about what causes cancer.
In fact the biggest risk for developing cancer is getting older - 64% cancers occur in people over the age of 65.
Probably the best known cause of cancer is smoking. It is a major cause of lung cancer and is also a risk factor for some other cancers, including bladder cancer and cancers of the head and neck.
Asbestos is another substance known to cause cancer ? it is responsible for the majority of cases of a rare type of cancer called mesothelioma, a cancer which affects the lining of the lungs. Its use is now banned in the UK.
There are other known risk factors for cancer which include heavy alcohol intake and exposure to sunlight.
With all that is known about the causes of cancer, it is important to remember that for most people, they will not know why they have developed cancer.
How can I reduce my cancer risk?
Many people want to know what they can do to reduce their risk of developing cancer. There?s actually quite a lot you can do to reduce your risk - the most obvious thing is, if you smoke, give up smoking. The best thing is to give up completely if you can, although just cutting down will help.
Other things that you can do are to eat sensibly ? we are all being encouraged to eat more fruit and vegetables ? and there?s good evidence to suggest that this can reduce the risk of developing some cancers, including stomach cancer and bowel cancer.
Eating healthily is good for other reasons too ? you can cut your risk of heart attacks and strokes as well as cancer by enjoying a healthy diet. So try and have your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day ? fruit juice counts as one portion, and dried and tinned fruit count as well.
Monitoring your weight is important too. We are all being made more aware of the dangers of being overweight now ? but it may also increase your risk of developing cancer.
As well as a good diet, not drinking heavily, avoiding sun damage to your skin and regular exercise can all help reduce your risk of developing cancer.
What can I do to prevent cancer coming back?
Well, there really isn?t anything specific that people can do, and certainly nothing that can guarantee that a cancer doesn?t come back.
However, often, after a diagnosis of cancer, people will look at their lifestyle to see if they can make any changes which might reduce the risk of their cancer coming back. It is important to remember that for some types of cancer, treatment is given to help reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.
Things people might want to consider might be
Their diet
Smoking
Alcohol intake
Exercise
How they spend their leisure time.
Some people may choose to ?go organic? and be more aware of eating healthily; some may feel it?s a good time to stop smoking and make sure they don?t have too much to drink. Taking some regular exercise is beneficial to your general health and, if gentle, exercise can help with the fatigue that many people experience with cancer treatments. Other people might want to see what they can do to reduce their stress levels.
If we know so much about cancer why do so many people get it?
Cancer is a common illness ? one in three people will develop cancer at some point in their lives. We are learning more about cancer all the time, but it is important to remember that cancer is not just one illness. There are over 200 different cancers and they are each different illnesses behaving in different ways and responding to different treatments.
One of the reasons why there may seem to be more cancer around is that people are generally living longer and cancer is more common in older people. In fact over 64% cancers occur in people aged over 65.
Early diagnosis may be another reason why cancer seems to be more common. People are more aware now of early symptoms. The breast and cervical screening programmes mean that early changes can be detected and treated if necessary. Detecting problems at this early stage can reduce the chance of a cancer developing later for many women.
Lifestyle may play a part as well ? many cancers could be prevented if we made a few changes in our lives.
While there seems to be a lot of cancer around, it?s important to remember that many cancers are likely to be successfully treated if found early. And, even if a cancer can?t be cured, it can often be well controlled with treatment.
More information
If this article has raised any questions for you or caused any feelings of distress, you can call Cancerbackup?s freephone helpline 0808 800 1234 (Monday?Friday, 9am?8pm), where the charity?s team of experienced cancer nurses can answer any question on any cancer, or visit www.cancerbackup.org.uk
Smoking is the best known cause of cancer - but there are other factors, such as diet, alcohol, sun damage and being overweight
There are things we can all do that will maximise our health and well-being and which may also minimise our cancer risk. In order to do this we must know a bit about what causes cancer.
What causes cancer?
There are some known causes and some known risk factors for cancer. A risk factor is something which can increase your chance of developing cancer ? it doesn?t mean you?ll definitely get it, just as not having that risk factor doesn?t mean you definitely won?t.
Causes and risk factors include:
Diet
Lifestyle
The environment
Some viruses
Research continues to try to learn more about what causes cancer.
In fact the biggest risk for developing cancer is getting older - 64% cancers occur in people over the age of 65.
Probably the best known cause of cancer is smoking. It is a major cause of lung cancer and is also a risk factor for some other cancers, including bladder cancer and cancers of the head and neck.
Asbestos is another substance known to cause cancer ? it is responsible for the majority of cases of a rare type of cancer called mesothelioma, a cancer which affects the lining of the lungs. Its use is now banned in the UK.
There are other known risk factors for cancer which include heavy alcohol intake and exposure to sunlight.
With all that is known about the causes of cancer, it is important to remember that for most people, they will not know why they have developed cancer.
How can I reduce my cancer risk?
Many people want to know what they can do to reduce their risk of developing cancer. There?s actually quite a lot you can do to reduce your risk - the most obvious thing is, if you smoke, give up smoking. The best thing is to give up completely if you can, although just cutting down will help.
Other things that you can do are to eat sensibly ? we are all being encouraged to eat more fruit and vegetables ? and there?s good evidence to suggest that this can reduce the risk of developing some cancers, including stomach cancer and bowel cancer.
Eating healthily is good for other reasons too ? you can cut your risk of heart attacks and strokes as well as cancer by enjoying a healthy diet. So try and have your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day ? fruit juice counts as one portion, and dried and tinned fruit count as well.
Monitoring your weight is important too. We are all being made more aware of the dangers of being overweight now ? but it may also increase your risk of developing cancer.
As well as a good diet, not drinking heavily, avoiding sun damage to your skin and regular exercise can all help reduce your risk of developing cancer.
What can I do to prevent cancer coming back?
Well, there really isn?t anything specific that people can do, and certainly nothing that can guarantee that a cancer doesn?t come back.
However, often, after a diagnosis of cancer, people will look at their lifestyle to see if they can make any changes which might reduce the risk of their cancer coming back. It is important to remember that for some types of cancer, treatment is given to help reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.
Things people might want to consider might be
Their diet
Smoking
Alcohol intake
Exercise
How they spend their leisure time.
Some people may choose to ?go organic? and be more aware of eating healthily; some may feel it?s a good time to stop smoking and make sure they don?t have too much to drink. Taking some regular exercise is beneficial to your general health and, if gentle, exercise can help with the fatigue that many people experience with cancer treatments. Other people might want to see what they can do to reduce their stress levels.
If we know so much about cancer why do so many people get it?
Cancer is a common illness ? one in three people will develop cancer at some point in their lives. We are learning more about cancer all the time, but it is important to remember that cancer is not just one illness. There are over 200 different cancers and they are each different illnesses behaving in different ways and responding to different treatments.
One of the reasons why there may seem to be more cancer around is that people are generally living longer and cancer is more common in older people. In fact over 64% cancers occur in people aged over 65.
Early diagnosis may be another reason why cancer seems to be more common. People are more aware now of early symptoms. The breast and cervical screening programmes mean that early changes can be detected and treated if necessary. Detecting problems at this early stage can reduce the chance of a cancer developing later for many women.
Lifestyle may play a part as well ? many cancers could be prevented if we made a few changes in our lives.
While there seems to be a lot of cancer around, it?s important to remember that many cancers are likely to be successfully treated if found early. And, even if a cancer can?t be cured, it can often be well controlled with treatment.
More information
If this article has raised any questions for you or caused any feelings of distress, you can call Cancerbackup?s freephone helpline 0808 800 1234 (Monday?Friday, 9am?8pm), where the charity?s team of experienced cancer nurses can answer any question on any cancer, or visit www.cancerbackup.org.uk