prevention of cancer

Etiology

• modifiable risk factors:
  • cigarette smoking: 19% of cancer cases; 29% of deaths
  • overweight & obesity: 8% of cancer cases; 7% of deaths
  • alcohol abuse: 6% of cancer cases; 4% of deaths
  • ultraviolet radiation exposure: 5% of cancer cases; 2% of deaths
  • sleep
    • sleep duration of 6-8 hours/night for men & 6-9 hours for women may be optimal for reducing cancer incidence & mortality
    • sleeping 10+ hours/night may increase a woman's risk of cancer & both men & women's risk of dying from cancer

Management

• Mediterranean diet may provide a framework for orchestrating guidelines
• eat plenty of fruits & vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables, deeply pigmented fruits* vegetables containing carotenoids & fruits & vegetable rich in vitamin C
  • aim for at least 5 servings of fruits & vegetable per day
    • 2 servings of fruit & 3 servings of vegetables associated with the lowest mortality
  • increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with ~4% reduction in overall cancer risk
  • no decrease in cancer-specific mortality
  • cruciferous vegetables reduce risk of colorectal cancer
  • > 85% of adults in the U.S. do not eat the recommended amounts of fruits & vegetables
• eat plenty of high-fiber foods such as whole grains, fruits & vegetables
  • aim for a daily fiber intake of 20-30 grams.
  • limit consumption of processed foods
• decrease fat intake to < 30% of total calories consumed
• minimize consumption of salt-cured, smoked & nitrite-cured foods such as bacon, ham & hot dogs to reduce risk of
  • colorectal cancer
    • association of red meat with colorectal cancer is weak with no clear dose-response pattern
  • breast cancer
  • prostate cancer
  • kidney cancer
  • pancreatic cancer
• limit or avoid alcohol to reduce the risk of
  • head & neck cancer
  • esophageal cancer
  • colorectal cancer
  • breast cancer
• limit or avoid dairy products to reduce the risk of prostate cancer
• consumption of soy products during adolescence reduces risk of breast cancer in adulthood & risk of recurrence & mortality for women previously treated for breast cancer
• Do NOT smoke.
• a healthy body mass index (BMI < 25) reduces risk of 13 cancers
  • gastric cancer (cardia), liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, thyroid cancer, multiple myeloma, meningioma, breast cancer (postmenopausal), uterine cancer (corpus), esophageal adenocarcinoma, renal cell cardinoma, & colorectal cancer
  • aim for weight control through exercise & lower calorie intake.
• healthy life-style can reduce risk of cancer-related death 44-48%
  • not smoking, alcohol in moderation or not at all, regular exercise, BMI of 18.5-27.4
• there is little evidence that vitamin/mineral supplements decrease risk of cancer or preinvasive neoplasia
  • combined folic acid (2.5 mg), vitamin B6 (50 mg), & vitamin B12 (1 mg) may reduce risk of invasive cancer in women > 65 years of age
    • no benefit in younger women
  • folic acid increases risk of cancer
    • overall (RR=1.07)
    • prostate cancer (RR=1.24)
    • colorectal cancer (RR=1.28)
  • beta-carotene may increase the risk for lung cancer (RR=1.20) & stomach cancer (RR=1.54)
  • selenium increases risk for non-melanoma skin cancer (RR=1.44)
  • vitamin E increases the risk for prostate cancer (RR=1.17)
• higher cardiorespiratory fitness (maximal oxygen consumption) is associated with lower risks of colon, prostate & lung cancer among Swedish men
  • moderate-high colon cancer, low-high prostate cancer, high lung cancer

More general terms

• prophylaxis (prevention, ppx)

Additional terms

• malignant neoplasm (cancer)
• risk factors for cancer