CAN WE PREVENT GETTING CANCER

• 30-50% of cancer deaths can be prevented by modifying or avoiding key risk factors.
• Most cancers take years to develop.
• Many things can affect one’s chance of getting cancer.
• Things that raise the chance of getting cancer are called risk factors.
• You can’t control some risk factors like getting older.
• But you can control many others, in fact there are things you can do every day to avoid getting cancer.

WAYS TO PREVENT CANCER

• Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to lower your cancer risk.
• Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body.
• If you don’t smoke, make sure you stay away from other people’s smoke.
• Tobacco use includes chewing tobacco or gutka.
• Lower, or even better, stop alcohol intake.
• Drinking alcohol raises your risk of getting many kinds of cancer, like liver cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables.
• Exercise regularly.
• Practice safe sex.
• Get vaccinated against hepatitis B and HPV.
• Avoid urban air pollution and indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels.
• Reduce exposure to UV rays.

CAN WE DETECT CANCER EARLY?

• Cancer burden can be reduced through early detection or screening.
• Cancer screening is looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms, these tests are advised for healthy people.
• These tests can help find cancer at an early stage.
• When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat or cure.

Screening tests include:

• Physical examination and history: Examination of the body to check for any signs of disease such as lumps or anything unusual.
• A history of the person’s health habits and past illnesses, treatments.
• Laboratory tests: That test samples of tissue, blood, urine etc.
• Imaging procedures: Procedures that make pictures of areas inside the body, like Ultrasound, CT scan, and Mammography.
• Genetic tests: Cells or tissues are analyzed to look for changes in genes or chromosomes, that may indicate increased risk for a disease or condition.