Cancer Awareness

• Overview
• The burden of cancer worldwide
• Cancer statistics in the US
• Prevention
• Screening

Overview

• Early diagnosis is important, but can you go one better? Can you reduce your risk of getting cancer in the first place? It sounds too good to be true, but it’s not.
• Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health estimate that up to 75% of American cancer deaths can be prevented

Statistics at a Glance: The Burden of Cancer Worldwide

• Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. In 2018, there were 18.1 million new cases and 9.5 million cancer-related deaths worldwide.
• By 2040, the number of new cancer cases per year is expected to rise to 29.5 million and the number of cancer-related deaths to 16.4 million.
• Generally, cancer rates are highest in countries whose populations have the highest life expectancy, education level, and standard of living.
• But for some cancer types, such as cervical cancer, the reverse is true, and the incidence rate is highest in countries in which the population ranks low on these measures.

Cancer statistics in the US

Prevention

1. Avoid tobacco in all its forms, including exposure to secondhand smoke.
2. Eat properly. Reduce your consumption of saturated fat and red meat, which may increase the risk of colon cancer and a more aggressive form of prostate cancer. Increase your consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
3. Exercise regularly. Physical activity has been linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer. Exercise also appears to reduce a woman’s risk of breast and possibly reproductive cancers. Exercise will help protect you even if you don’t lose weight.
4. Stay lean. Obesity increases the risk of many forms of cancer.
5. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to an average of one drink a day. Excess alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, voice box, food pipe, liver, and colon; it also increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
6. Avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation. Get medical imaging studies only when you need them. Check your home for residential radon, which increases the risk of lung cancer. Protect yourself from ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, which increases the risk of melanomas and other skin cancers.
   But don’t worry about electromagnetic radiation from high-voltage power lines or radiofrequency radiation from microwaves and cell phones. They do not cause cancer.
7. Avoid exposure to industrial and environmental toxins such as asbestos fibers, benzene, aromatic amines, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
8. Avoid infections that contribute to cancer, including hepatitis viruses, HIV, and the human papillomavirus. Many are transmitted sexually or through contaminated needles.
9. Make quality sleep a priority.Admittedly, the evidence linking sleep to cancer is not strong. But poor and insufficient sleep increases is associated with weight gain, which is a cancer risk factor.
10. Get enough vitamin D.Many experts now recommend 800 to 1,000 IU a day, a goal that’s nearly impossible to attain without taking a supplement. Although protection is far from proven, evidence suggests that vitamin D may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, colon cancer, and other malignancies.

Screenings

• USPSTF recommends that all adults aged 50 to 75 years should be screened for colorectal cancer. 
• USPSTF recommends biennial screening mammography for women aged 50 to 74 years.
• USPSTF recommends annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose CT in adults ages 50 to 80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.
• works to improve the health of people nationwide by making evidence-based recommendations on effective ways to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life.
• The USPSTF recommends screening for cervical cancer every 3 years with cervical cytology alone in women aged 21 to 29 years.
• For women aged 30 to 65 years, the USPSTF recommends screening every 3 years with cervical cytology alone, every 5 years with high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing alone, or every 5 years with hrHPV testing in combination with cytology (cotesting).
• According to USPSTF, the decision to be screened for prostate cancer in men aged 55 to 69 years should be individualized.