Importance of Addressing Cancer Prevention

One in two men and one in three women willhave to hear those dreadful words in their lifetime: "You have cancer." It's even more heartbreaking to know that many of these cancers are potentially preventable. Yes, I've heard some of the arguments. "We all have to die of something." Or, "When your time comes, your time comes." It's true that none of us will escape this planet alive. But it's not true that cancer - some cancers anyway - are unavoidable. According the American Institute for Cancer Research, 30 to 40% of cancers could be prevented with a healthy diet and exercise alone. Add to that the avoidance of tobacco, and a healthy respect for occupational and household chemicals, and the number is higher yet. A new study emphasizes the importance of prevention by putting some numbers out there. Researchers looked at 6 cancers in particular that are potentially preventable - lung, colon and rectum, liver, breast, cervix, and prostate. They then calculated the average expected years of life lost (EYLL) for each of these cancers. For liver cancer and lung cancer the average EYLL was over 13 years, while the EYLL for prostate cancer was less than 2 years. Based on numbers from 2012 lung cancer would cause a grand total of 3,116,000 lost years of life. Second up was breast cancer with 1,420,000 years lost, followed by colon and rectal cancer with a loss of 932,000 years of life. The conclusion? Successful prevention strategies for lung cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer have the potential to greatly minimize the loss of life of people living in the United States . Until we know more, what can you do to lower your chances of developing the 6 cancers in this study? Some of these tips may be obvious, but others may surprise you.