Breast and prostate cancer.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, and in 2018, prostate cancer was the 4th most common cancer. I know we have been talking about how not to get cancer but with these type of cancers, early detection is the primary defense in prevention.
Breast cancer has a lot of risk factors, ranging from certain diets to obesity. But age and genetics are the most widely recognized risk factors for breast cancer. A woman’s lifetime risk for breast cancer is up to four times higher if a mother and sister are affected and up to five times greater in women who have two or more first-degree relatives with breast cancer, especially if the relative was diagnosed at an age younger than 50. In an ideal society, all women from ages 50 and above should have regular screenings for breast cancer, but because of the financial cost, that is hardly ever feasible. This is important because catching breast cancer at an early stage significantly improves the chances of effective treatment. So if you are above the age of 40 (but really, any age) and/or have a family history of breast cancer, regular mammograms or clinical is necessary. Self breast-exams would suffice if you can’t afford a mammogram, and it should be a consistent part of your life. Learning how to perform a breast self-exam is just a youtube video away. And if you notice any lumps or changes on the skin or of the symmetry of your breast, DO NOT HESITATE to go to the hospital for further testing. By the way, men can get breast cancer too.
Look, nobody wants to get poked in the butt except you’re into that kind of thing. But that’s the fastest way to check how your prostate is doing. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer death in men. Granted it’s not the fastest or the most aggressive cancer there is, but death by it is still very avoidable. The recommended age for starting screening is 50 in men at average risk, 40 or 45 for black men or men who have had a first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 65 and 40 in men who have had multiple first-degree relatives who had prostate cancer at an early age. Ok, so you don’t want to get your butt poked, at least you can opt for a blood test. Call a prostate-specific antigen test. The drawback is it isn’t as specific as a digital rectal examination, which means it could say you’re healthy when you are not or you are sick when you’re healthy.
Food, alcohol and colorectal cancer.
The type of diet you have is also very important when it comes to protecting yourself, not just from cancer, but from other diseases. Diets that have less alcohol, more fruits and vegetables and also less processed foods have been found to be protective against cancer even in people with high risks due to genetics.
Colorectal cancer is cancer that has been heavily linked to what you eat and it’s the third most common cancer in the world. The ‘continuous update project’ has judged that there was strong evidence that consuming processed meat, red meat and alcoholic drinks and greater body fatness increase the risk of colorectal cancer. But the most effective way to reduce your risk of getting colorectal cancer is to get screened regularly, starting at the age of 50. This is because almost all cases start out with what is called precancerous colon polyps which are small clumps of abnormal tissue that grow on the inside of your colon. They can stay there for a long time before they start to become cancerous which makes it highly preventable. Your doctor can check for these by using a small camera to visualize your colon. I know right? more butt stuff. But you can also get specific stool tests as an alternative.
Infections and cancer and cervixes
In 2012, about 15% of all cancers were attributable to infectious agents like Helicobacter pylori, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B and C, and Epstein Barr virus. According to WHO, vaccination against HPV and hepatitis B could prevent up to 1million cases each year, that’s a lot!
HPV, to put things simply, is a bastard. It is a virus that is linked not just to cervical cancer but penile, anal, vagina, throat and testicular cancer. To make things worse, it is the most commonly transmitted STD. If you are sexually active, there is a solid chance you have this virus. According to a study done in the US, about 50% of women will be infected by the age of 20-24. To top it off, condoms rarely are effective in preventing its transmission. But don’t worry yet, not all strains of the virus cause cancer, most are relatively harmless and clear up within a few years. But the strains that do cause cancer are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancers. Thankfully, there are now vaccines that provide immunity against most of these strains. It is recommended to give the vaccines to girls around 10-11 years before they are thought to become sexually active. If you are already sexually active, you can still receive the vaccine because there is a chance you have not yet contracted some of the harmful strains. But the most effective way to prevent cervical cancer is screening. This involves pap smear and HPV testing. All women, vaccinated or not are recommended to start testing at 30 or younger in cases of an earlier sexual debut and then continue regularly. Cervical cancer can take up to 15 years to develop so it can be easily preventable.
Liver cancer can be caused by a number of things, but the most relevant to note is hepatitis B and C infections. Hepatitis C infection more often leads to chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. It has no vaccine unlike its twin brother hepatitis B, which makes avoiding contracting the virus the best option. It is more often transmitted through contact with infected blood like with sharing needles. Hep B, on the other hand, can also lead to liver cancer but what makes it more relevant is it can also be transmitted by sex. If I tell you to abstain or avoid multiple sexual partners, I know you won’t listen, so your best bet is getting vaccinated. The vaccine has 95% efficiency in preventing infection.
Radiation
Radiation, either from nature or from manmade instruments, increase the risk of various types of cancer. Radiation from the sun especially increases the chances of skin cancer, especially in lighter skinned individuals. But dark people can still get cancer from the sun. So avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun and the use of sunscreen and protective clothing is important.
Xrays also increases the chances of different types of cancers. While they are necessary for helping diagnose certain diseases, try as best as you can to avoid unnecessary exposure.
So what have we learnt?
In conclusion, a lot of cancer cases are not predictable or are due to things we can’t control, such as genetic predisposition and spontaneous genetic mutations. But for the ones we can control, we should. Eat healthy, exercise, avoid exposure to known carcinogens, screen yourselves regularly for common cancers and get adequate vaccinations. If you are not sure of how your family history can increase your risk, ask your doctor for proper medical advice.