Prevention

 Cancer prevention is defined as active measures package adopted to decrease the incidence of cancer. This can be accomplished by avoiding carcinogens, pursuing a lifestyle or diet that modifies cancer-causing factors and/or medical intervention (chemotherapy).

 Examples of cancer risk that can be avoided include:

-             alcohol consumption (associated with increased risk of oral, esophageal, breast)

-             smoking (although 20% of women with lung cancer have never smoked)

-             physical inactivity (associated with increased risk of colon, breast)

-             overweight (associated with colon, breast, endometrial).

 Based on epidemiologic evidence, it is now thought that avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, physically activity, and maintaining recommended body weight may all contribute to reductions in risk of certain cancers. Other lifestyle and environmental factors known to affect cancer risks (either beneficially or detrimentally) include certain sexually transmitted diseases, the use of exogenous hormones, exposure to ionizing radiation and ultraviolet radiation, certain occupational and chemical exposures, and infectious agents.