HOW TO PREVENT CANCERS

A new report out this week highlights the value of personalized risk information, like that provided by Your Disease Risk, to the health decision making process.



As we have noted before, colon cancer screening has a clear mortality benefit.

In the new study, Tom Sequist and colleagues randomized half of the patients who were overdue for colonoscopy to receive an electronic message from their physician. The message highlighted that the patient was overdue and provided a link to a webpage that allowed patients to get a personalized colorectal cancer risk assessment. The other group received usual care.

One month after the message was sent, the patients who received the message were more likely to have been screened. Half of patients sent the electronic message viewed it and 9 percent completed the risk assessment. Those who used the tool were twice as likely to get screened than those in the message group who didn't use the personalized risk tool.

This study is groundbreaking as it moves beyond the interventions that provide generic information about the screening process to information specifically about the individual patient risk.

For a long time, breast cancer survivors were told by physicians and others on the cancer care team to avoid overuse of their arms after breast cancer surgery. Told to avoid lifting items over 5 pounds (or sometimes as little as 2 pounds), women were functionally limited from activities of daily living - no lifting a gallon of milk or carrying in groceries, no picking up children or grandchildren for a nurturing hug, no participating in activities they once enjoyed like tennis or golf.



This week, those recommendations went out the window. Building on previous work that showed supervised progressive weight training did not effect limb swelling or exacerbate lymphedema in breast cancer survivors, this week, Katie Schmitz and colleages reported that the same weight training program did not CAUSE lymphedema in breast cancer survivors at risk of lymphedema (that is, with at least 2 lymph nodes removed during surgery who showed no signs of lymphedema at the start of the study).

The authors have cautioned: women who have lymphedema or are at risk of the condition should speak with their doctors and seek guidance from a certified fitness professional to learn safe weightlifting techniques, many of which can even be practiced at home with proper equipment. Women with lymphedema should also wear a well-fitting compression garment during all exercise sessions.

This is great news and suggests getting up and getting moving has even more benefits than previously thought for breast cancer survivors!

For a long time, the CNiC team has talked about 8 ways you can prevent cancer. This week, we're proud to announce our 8 ways to stay healthy AFTER cancer. With over 12 million cancer survivors in the US alone, addressing the chronic health needs of cancer survivors is a priority.

Readers will notice that there is a lot of overlap. This is in part because the leading causes of health challenges for cancer surviors (e.g., diabetes, heart disease) share risk factors with cancer itself. The time during and after cancer treatment can be a particularly challenging one, with information overload and an internet full of "miracle" promises. The key to these 8 ways is to not let them add to those feelings - start small, making 1 or 2 changes and add more as you are able.

1. Don't smoke. This is the single best thing you can do for your health as a survivor.
2. Avoid secondhand smoke. Avoid smoky bars and restaurants and make your home smokefree.
3. Avoid inactivity! Regular exercise helps improve the quality and quantity of your life.
4. Avoid weight gain. Eating is a common stress coping mechanism, but weight gain can increase your risk of recurrence and diminish your quality of life.
5. Eat a healthy diet. Focus on fruits and vegetables and whole grains, keeping red meat to a minimum. Avoid messages talking of miracles and quick fixes.
6. Alcohol is something to be consumed only in moderation, if at all.
7. Stay connected. Friends, family and other survivors can all provide important social and emotional support.
8. Get regular check-ups. This means getting necessary screening tests for other cancers and chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.

It is never too early or too late to start making these changes to boost your health!

Here's a free printable guide to staying healthy after cancer.