It seems that every time you open a newspaper or switch on the news, there’s a different cancer prevention message. The volume of information can be overwhelming – and not helpful when some messages seem to contradict each other.
In the first of a two part blog about cancer prevention, we discuss some of the positive things we could all do to help reduce our risk of cancer.
Why it’s so important
In the UK, nearly 1000 people are diagnosed with cancer every day. That’s about 2 people every 3 minutes. Over half of us will develop cancer at some point during our lives.
Research suggests that about 42% of new cancers (4 in every 10) could be prevented by making lifestyle changes.
But which changes might actually make a difference?
Why cancers develop
Cancers develop because of damage to our DNA. The damage builds up over time (which is why cancer becomes more common as we get older) and is caused by a combination of factors. This includes some that we don’t know yet and others like the genes we’re born with and the way we live our lives (lifestyle choices).
We can’t change our genes and family history (or our age), but making positive lifestyle changes can help reduce damage to our DNA, caused by the different risk factors of everyday life.
We don’t know the risk factors for all cancers. We also don’t know why some people develop a cancer when they haven’t been exposed to its risk factors, or why another person won’t get a cancer who has. But, on the whole, the more positive lifestyle changes you make the lower your chance of developing cancer.
Make positive lifestyle changes
What can you do to help reduce your risk of developing cancer? Here are the basic facts.
Tobacco Smoking causes cancer. Research estimates that smoking causes over a quarter of all cancers. That’s 250 cancers a day in the UK.
Smoking has been directly linked with cancers of the lung, oesophagus (gullet), larynx (voice box), mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, pancreas, stomach and cervix.
Giving up smoking (or never starting) can be one of the healthiest decisions you ever make.
Obesity Being overweight has also been linked to the development of cancer. Cancers of the oesophagus, bowel, breast, womb and kidney are all more common in people who are overweight or obese.
Keeping to a healthy weight can help reduce your risk of these cancers, as well as improve your overall health. Talk to your GP about what is a healthy weight for you.
Alcohol Approximately 4% of all cancers in the UK are believed to be caused by alcohol – that’s about 40 cancers a day.
Alcohol is a risk factor for cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, bowel and breast. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol taken and is worse if you also smoke.
Limiting how much alcohol you drink each week can help reduce your risk. Government guidelines suggest that we should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week and have alcohol free days. Talk to your GP if you need help to cut down.
A healthy diet Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet may help to prevent about 10% of cancers in the UK – about 100 cancers per day.
Eating at least 5 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables a day may protect you against many cancers, especially bowel cancer. Eating lots of red and preserved meat may increase the risk of colon and rectal cancers.
Keep active There is evidence that keeping active helps reduce your risk of breast, bowel and womb cancer. It’s believed that nearly 10 cancers a day could be prevented in the UK.
Walking, swimming and dancing are good ways to keep active. Try to do at least 2 ½ hours of exercise each week.
Radiation Overexposure to radiation damages our DNA and may cause cancer. Most of us think that radiation comes from things like the nuclear power industry (this is called ionizing radiation). Some of us may be aware of naturally occurring radon gas that’s found in certain areas of the UK. But most of the radiation we are exposed to comes from the sun.
Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or sunbeds causes skin cancer. There are different types of skin cancer – melanoma is the most serious. It’s thought that sensible exposure to UV radiation can help to prevent 80% of melanomas in the UK. That’s about 28 a day.
It’s important to protect your skin from burning. Use a high factor sunscreen (SPF 30 or above), wear clothing made from natural fibres, such as cotton, and avoid the sun at the hottest times (11am to 3pm). And never use a sunbed.
Infections Cancer itself isn’t infectious, but there are some infections that can increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer. In the UK the main infections to be aware of are HPV, hepatitis and H pylori.
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is linked to cancers of the cervix, penis, vagina and anus, as well as some types of head and neck cancer. HPV is very common. Most people who are sexually active will be infected at some time. Reducing the number of sexual partners and practicing safer sex (using a condom) will help to reduce your risk of getting HPV. Girls can now be vaccinated against some types of HPV.
Hepatitis is a virus that affects the liver. Long-term infection with hepatitis B or C can increase the risk of primary liver cancer. The virus is spread in body fluids, such as blood and semen. Most adults will fight off the virus and fully recover, but you can reduce your risk of picking up the infection by practising safe sex, reducing the number of sexual partners and not sharing needles (if you inject drugs).
Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) is a common bacteria found in the gut. For most people it’s harmless, but sometimes it can cause stomach inflammation and ulcers. Over a long period of time, this can lead to stomach cancer. H pylori can be easily treated. Talk to your GP if you think you may have symptoms.
Look out for part two of our cancer prevention blog next week, where we'll talk about some things that probably won't reduce your risk of developing cancer.
To see what else Macmillan's cancer information team has been blogging about, please visit our blog home page! You can subscribe to receive our blogs by email or RSS too.
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