Cancer Prevention
Even though the medical field has made tremendous progress, there is still much to discover about cancer. However, we do know that there are several biological and environmental factors that can increase a person’s risk of getting the disease. Be sure to follow the recommended guidelines for regular cancer screening and self-examinations, which increase your chances of discovering cancer early. Screening should include your skin, mouth, colon and rectum. Men should also include prostate and testes screenings. Cervical and breast cancer screenings should be included for women.
Factors That are Known to Increase the Risk of Cancer
Cigarette Smoking and Tobacco Use
Tobacco use is strongly linked to an increased risk for many kinds of cancer. Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of the following types of cancer:
Not smoking or quitting smoking lowers the risk of getting cancer and dying from cancer. Scientists believe that cigarette smoking causes about 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States.
See the following National Cancer Institute PDQ summaries for more information:
Prevention and Cessation of Cigarette Smoking: Control of Tobacco Use
Lung Cancer Prevention
Infections
Certain viruses and bacteria may possibly able to cause cancer. Viruses and other infection-causing agents cause more cases of cancer in the developing world (about 1 in 4 cases of cancer) than in developed nations (less than 1 in 10 cases of cancer). Examples of cancer-causing viruses and bacteria include:
Two vaccines prevent infection by cancer-causing agents have already been developed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One is a vaccine to prevent infection with hepatitis B virus. The other protects against infection with strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer. Scientists continue to work on vaccines against infections that cause cancer.
See the following National Cancer Institute PDQ summaries for more information:
Cervical Cancer Prevention
Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Prevention
Stomach (Gastric) Cancer Prevention
Oral Cancer Prevention
Radiation
Being exposed to radiation is a known cause of cancer. There are two main types of radiation linked with an increased risk for cancer:
See the following National Cancer Institute PDQ summaries for more information:
Breast Cancer Prevention
Skin Cancer Prevention
Factors That May Affect the Risk of Cancer
Diet
The foods that you eat on a regular basis make up your diet. Diet is being studied as a risk factor for cancer. It is hard to study the effects of diet on cancer because a person’s diet includes foods that may protect against cancer and foods that may increase the risk of cancer.
It is also hard for people who take part in the studies to keep track of what they eat over a long period of time. This may explain why studies have different results about how diet affects the risk of cancer.
Some studies show that fruits and nonstarchy vegetables may protect against cancers of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Fruits may also protect against lung cancer.
Some studies have shown that a diet high in fat, proteins, calories, and red meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer, but other studies have not shown this.
It is not known if a diet low in fat and high in fiber, fruits, and vegetables lowers the risk of colorectal cancer. See the American Institute for Cancer Researchfor more information about foods that prevent cancer.
See the following PDQ summaries for more information:
Colorectal Cancer Prevention
Alcohol
Studies have shown that drinking alcohol is linked to an increased risk of the following types of cancers:
Drinking alcohol may also increase the risk of liver cancer and female colorectal cancer.
See the following National Cancer Institute PDQ summaries for more information:
Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Prevention
Physical Activity
Studies show that people who are physically active have a lower risk of certain cancers than those who are not. It is not known if physical activity itself is the reason for this.
Studies show a strong link between physical activity and a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Some studies show that physical activity protects against postmenopausal breast cancer and endometrial cancer.
See the following National Cancer Institute PDQ summaries for more information:
Endometrial Cancer Prevention
Obesity
Studies show that obesity is linked to a higher risk of the following types of cancer:
Some studies show that obesity is also a risk factor for cancer of the gallbladder.
Studies do not show that losing weight lowers the risk of cancers that have been linked to obesity.