Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The building blocks of a cancer risk management strategy

Miles J. Varn, MD
Conditions
July 14, 2022
16 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

According to data gathered by the American Cancer Society (ACS), more than 1.9 million new cancers are projected to be diagnosed in 2022. In addition, missed cancer screenings due to the pandemic are expected to potentially increase the number of cancers that are diagnosed at a more advanced stage. But the ACS data also highlight an important fact—approximately 42% of the new cancers projected to be diagnosed this year could potentially be avoided. A cancer risk management strategy and action plan can play a key role in helping you lower your risk.

The first step—assessing risk

Before starting to build a plan to manage cancer risk, it is essential to understand your personal risk. Start by gathering your family history, including cancer diagnoses for your grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and your children. The information you should focus on includes:

  • Whether your relatives have been diagnosed with cancer
  • What type of cancer they were diagnosed with
  • Whether the cancer was a rare type
  • Whether they were diagnosed with more than one type of cancer over their lifetime
  • How old they were when they were diagnosed
  • What their cause of death was if they’re no longer living

If you do discover a family history of cancer, you may want to consider genomic testing to help stratify risk. Suppose you have a genetic mutation that increases risk. In that case, your doctor may recommend meeting with a genetic counselor to develop a risk mitigation plan and starting common screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies at a younger age or screening more frequently. Medication or prophylactic surgery to lower the risk may be recommended for some types of cancer, such as breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer in people with a BRCA1 or 2 mutation.

Proactive steps to manage cancer risk

There are a number of proactive steps you can take to better manage your cancer risk, whether you’re at an increased risk or not. For example, the HPV vaccine protects against infections that can increase the risk of cervical, penile, and head and neck cancers.

Making healthy lifestyle choices can have a positive impact on cancer risk. The ACS data noted that lifestyle changes, including not smoking or quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, good nutrition, and not drinking alcohol were associated with 19% and 18% of potentially avoidable cancers, respectively.

Several studies support the value of healthy lifestyle choices as part of a plan to manage cancer risk:

Weight, activity, and cancer risk. For each increase of five points in BMI, one report found an association with the risk of developing several types of cancer, including a 50% increase in endometrial cancer risk, a 48% increase in esophageal cancer risk, a 30% increase in kidney and liver cancer risk, 12% increase in postmenopausal breast cancer risk, 10% increase in pancreatic cancer risk, and a 5% increase in colorectal cancer risk.

To reduce risk, work to reach and maintain a healthy weight by choosing nutritious foods and taking part in 150 minutes of activity each week. Two meta-analyses found an association between being physically active and a reduced risk of colon cancer (24% lower risk) and breast cancer (12% lower risk).

Nutrition. A number of studies have found an association between nutrition and cancer risk. In some cases, the risk is related to the fact that low nutrition, high-calorie foods like fast food and foods that contain a lot of sugar increase the risk of being overweight, which is associated with increased cancer risk. Red meat and processed meat have also been linked to increased cancer risk, especially the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Alcohol consumption has been associated with an increase in risk for several types of cancer, including cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colorectum, and breast, so limit or avoid drinking alcohol. In terms of nutrition, choose a variety of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, legumes, healthy fats, and lean proteins like poultry and fish.

UV protection. Both in the U.S. and around the world, the most common cancer is skin cancer. Fortunately, many of these cancers can be prevented. Key steps to take include using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher on all exposed skin every day, even when it’s overcast. Skin cancer can also affect the eyes, so wear sunglasses that protect against UVA and UVB rays. Avoid all forms of indoor tanning, which exposes users to high levels of UV radiation over time and increases the risk of skin cancer, cataracts, and cancers of the eye.

Miles J. Varn is chief executive officer, PinnacleCare, and can be reached on LinkedIn.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

How to tackle the physician shortage [PODCAST]

July 13, 2022 Kevin 0
…
Next

How did quality and safety become 4-letter words?

July 14, 2022 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Oncology/Hematology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How to tackle the physician shortage [PODCAST]
Next Post >
How did quality and safety become 4-letter words?

More by Miles J. Varn, MD

  • Why sharing your complete medical history with your clinicians is important

    Miles J. Varn, MD
  • Managing key risk factors may lower your dementia risk

    Miles J. Varn, MD
  • Caregiver? Learn how to support older relatives at doctor’s appointments.

    Miles J. Varn, MD

Related Posts

  • The risk physicians take when going on social media

    Anonymous
  • Hormone replacement therapy is still linked to cancer

    Martha Rosenberg
  • 4 disturbing trends in health care

    Praveen Suthrum
  • We have a shot at preventing cervical cancer

    Lisa N. Abaid, MD, MPH
  • Obstruction of medical justice: How health care fails patients with cancer

    Miriam A. Knoll, MD
  • Despite progress in cancer care, cost and equity challenges still must be addressed

    David M. Aboulafia, MD

More in Conditions

  • Burnout on the U.S.S. Enterprise

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • The toll of health care: suicide risk among professionals

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Embracing life’s purpose in the face of inevitable death

    Michael Brant-Zawadzki, MD
  • From ICU to kidney mass: a nurse’s journey of fear

    Debbie Moore-Black, RN
  • Intravenous immunoglobulin for gastroparesis: What happened to me

    Maria Jay
  • Save time with these 4 charting tips

    Erica Dorn, FNP
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Health care’s hidden problem: hospital primary care losses

      Christopher Habig, MBA | Policy
    • The dark role of science, medicine, and tasers

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • From fishing licenses to gun control

      Mitch Bruss, MD | Policy
    • Decoding AI hallucinations in health care: Embracing a new era of medical innovation

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Navigating life’s crossroads: Change, accept, or leave [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How generative AI will upend the doctor-patient relationship

      Robert Pearl, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medicare coverage saves lives. Enrolling shouldn’t be this complicated.

      Catherine L. Chen, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Emergency department burnout: a cry for change

      Anonymous | Conditions
    • The erosion of compassion in medicine

      Daniel Luger, MD | Education
    • Health care’s hidden problem: hospital primary care losses

      Christopher Habig, MBA | Policy
    • Pain medicine realities: beyond the opioid crisis

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD and Stephen E. Nadeau, MD | Conditions
    • What we have to gain from weight loss drugs

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Navigating life’s crossroads: Change, accept, or leave [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A doctor struggles to provide mental health care in Appalachia

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Burnout on the U.S.S. Enterprise

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Conditions
    • The toll of health care: suicide risk among professionals

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Breaking free from metric shaming [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physicians are burned out. Could entrepreneurship be a cure?

      Arun Mohan, MD, MBA | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • FDA Inspections of Foreign Drug Manufacturers Haven't Bounced Back After Pandemic
  • Is Omitting Radiation Therapy in Low-Risk Breast Cancer a Good IDEA?
  • Kidney Disease in Pregnancy Often Overlooked for Care
  • Got Raw Milk?
  • ChatGPT Takes on the Neuro Boards

Meeting Coverage

  • Is Omitting Radiation Therapy in Low-Risk Breast Cancer a Good IDEA?
  • Study Supports ADC as a New Option for Endocrine-Resistant Metastatic Breast Cancer
  • Maintenance Pembrolizumab-Olaparib Fails to Boost Survival in TNBC
  • Mobile Unit Preferred for Buprenorphine Access
  • Study 'Underscores' Value of Early Fertility Counseling for Breast Cancer Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Health care’s hidden problem: hospital primary care losses

      Christopher Habig, MBA | Policy
    • The dark role of science, medicine, and tasers

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • From fishing licenses to gun control

      Mitch Bruss, MD | Policy
    • Decoding AI hallucinations in health care: Embracing a new era of medical innovation

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Navigating life’s crossroads: Change, accept, or leave [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How generative AI will upend the doctor-patient relationship

      Robert Pearl, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medicare coverage saves lives. Enrolling shouldn’t be this complicated.

      Catherine L. Chen, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Emergency department burnout: a cry for change

      Anonymous | Conditions
    • The erosion of compassion in medicine

      Daniel Luger, MD | Education
    • Health care’s hidden problem: hospital primary care losses

      Christopher Habig, MBA | Policy
    • Pain medicine realities: beyond the opioid crisis

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD and Stephen E. Nadeau, MD | Conditions
    • What we have to gain from weight loss drugs

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Navigating life’s crossroads: Change, accept, or leave [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A doctor struggles to provide mental health care in Appalachia

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Burnout on the U.S.S. Enterprise

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Conditions
    • The toll of health care: suicide risk among professionals

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Breaking free from metric shaming [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physicians are burned out. Could entrepreneurship be a cure?

      Arun Mohan, MD, MBA | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...