HOW TO PREVENT CANCERS

We know from studies of leukemia and some other cancers that people who were exposed to certain factors (such as to radiation) while in the womb (in utero) can have a greater risk of cancer as children and adults. More recently, interest has shifted from large one-time exposures to carcinogens (such as to atomic bomb radiation) to other more subtle...

A recent study in the British Medical Journal adds further evidence that use of oral contraceptives reduces cancer mortality (full study). In the long term study of over 46,000 women who were followed for up to 39 years, Hannaford and colleagues reported that women who used oral...

While stomach (or gastric) cancer is the fourth most common cancer globally (it is the most common cancer in China and nearly half of global cases occur there), it is much less common in developed countries, including the US (where it is not in the ten most common cancer diagnoses)....

The anti-diabetic drug metformin is associated with reduced cancer incidence. In a UK based study of 4085 type 2 diabetics who used metformin from 1994 to 2003, investigators compared the incidence of cancer in those diebetics to the rate of cancer in diabetics who did not use metformin. The risk of cancer was reduced by 40 percent among those who...

In a recent study, Karen Emmons and Colleagues evaluate colorectal cancer screening behaviors among 695 low-income, multiethnic adults aged 50 years and over who were primarily insured (97%). Provider's recommendation was significantly associated with being up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening. Provider's understanding of patient's social context...

The recent Annual Report to the Nation featuring colon cancer trends (http://bit.ly/ccF9ma) highlights the success of prevention in reducing colorectal cancer incidence and mortality. Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States for men and women combined. In the US,...

A new study of adolescent diet and subsequent risk of precursor lesions for breast cancer shows that women who had higher intake of fiber earlier in life have lower cancer risk. Data from the Nurses' Health Study show that women in the highest quintile of adolescent fiber intake had a 25% lower risk of proliferative benign breast disease. This significant...

Several measures that are currently poorly defined in many of our studies that focus on prevention are now a priority for us to achieve the goal of preventing the majority of cancer. These are summarized below and in a recent article (http://bit.ly/aI2jAr) Prevention Questions Cohort Methods issues Which exposure? Refined measures...

Obesity is increasing at epidemic rates around the world (International Agency for Research on Cancer 2002). Within the US, the epidemic is clearly shown spreading across the country (see map).United States, data from 2003-2004 report that 66 percent of adults are overweight or obese...

Comprehensive worksite health promotion addressing occupational health issues, smoking cessation, diet and activity has shown a reduction in cancer risk in blue-collar workers (Sorensen et al. Cancer Causes and Control. 2002). If these results were applied in all similar settings then we would see a substantial reduction in lung cancer in the coming...

Media coverage of the obesity epidemic in Australia and the resulting cancer burden nicely emphasizes the role of workplace changes that can help promote wellness - http://bit.ly/ci3NoV.Growing evidence shows such workplace wellness programs save money and reduce costs for the health system. This is a win-win situation. David Cutler and colleagues...

Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH had the privilege to give a talk this afternoon at Sydney University, Australia, on "8 Ways to Prevent Cancer." The talk detailed the evidence behind, and multi-layered issues involved in, cancer prevention efforts. Dr. Colditz's slides from the talk ...

Australian population growth projection leads to increasing burden of cancer for health services and for the community. The continuing growth through births and migration lead to projections that the Australian population will substantially increase in size and in age over the next 50 years. By 2056 5% percent or more of the population will be aged...