Which disease can be prevented by:

Not smoking?

High fiber diet?

Low fat diet?

Regular exercise?

An aspirin a day?

Think again! Cancer.

Nine out of ten lung cancers occur in people who smoke cigarettes or cigars. About half of throat cancer and mouth cancer occur in smokers and almost all particularly aggressive mouth cancers occur in people who chew tobacco. Bladder cancer is also associated with tobacco use and other cancers have been implicated. Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable cancers.

A diet high in fiber and low in fat is associated with less colon cancers. An additional benefit of low fat diet appears to be a lower chance of breast cancer and prostate cancer. Both breast and prostate cancer occurs less frequently in people who participate in exercise programs over long periods of time. Exercise is also beneficial in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer.

In Rhode Island there is a high death rate from melanoma, one of the most difficult cancers to cure once it has gotten established. Melanoma is associated with increased exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet). Between exposure at the beach, sailing, playing golf, Rhode Islanders have very high accumulated exposure to ultraviolet with resulting skin damage and many skin cancers, most of which are quite curable except for melanoma.

And, oh, yes, aspirin. An aspirin a day will significantly diminish polyp formation and colon cancer which is the number 3 cancer killer in Rhode Island. A new class of drugs, COX-2 inhibitors (available as Celebrex) has now been approved by the FDA to prevent polyp formation and progression to colon cancer. These COX-2 inhibitors perform some of the functions of aspirin, are less likely to cause bleeding problems, and are a good deal more expensive than aspirin.

So, with not smoking, a healthy diet, more exercise, and an aspirin a day, you can prevent many of the most deadly cancers and along the way improve your heart health. Being cancer-smart can be heart-smart as well.

(Part 2 of a two-part series - Click here for Part 1)

For more information and answers to specific questions contact the Rhode Island Cancer Council at Tel@ricancercouncil.org or call us at (401) 728-4800 or toll free 866-879-4100.

IT IS EASIER TO PREVENT CANCER THAN TO TREAT IT.

If you found this information helpful, please consider making a donation to the Rhode Island Cancer Council so we may continue adding content to our website and providing valuable services to Rhode Island residents. Please click the Donate icon to the left to make a donation via credit card or your PayPal account.

See also: