BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — On Wednesday, February 1, the American Cancer Society held an event to highlight the importance of reducing cancer risks. At the event, Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh officially proclaimed February as National Cancer Prevention Awareness Month.
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is still the second most common cause of death in the United States, second only to heart disease, and this year, they expect to see a total of 1.9 million new cancer diagnoses.
Despite these numbers, cancer rates are down 33 percent from a peak in 1991. This reduction represents an estimated 3.8 million cancer deaths averted.
Advances in medical science, including improved understanding of the causes of cancer and the invention of more effective treatments for cancer, are contributing to the decline, but there are things everyone can do to minimize their own personal risk.
The Mayo Clinic offers 7 guidelines for cancer prevention:
- Don't use tobacco. Smoking has been linked to many cancers in both men and women, including lung, reproductive, and bladder cancers. Even secondhand smoke can be dangerous, and smokeless options aren't any better, leading to an increased risk of mouth, throat, and and pancreatic cancers.
- Eat a healthy diet. While it's still no guarantee, giving your body the nutrients it needs from fruits, vegetables, and lean meats and proteins, while limiting your intake of things like refined sugars, processed meats, and alcohol may reduce your overall cancer risk.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Cancers like breast and prostate, colon, and kidney are correlated to excess body weight, but it isn't just the weight. Engaging in regular physical activity, obese or not, will minimize your risk by itself. Aim for getting 30 minutes of moderate to hard physical activity every day.
- Use sunscreen. Skin cancer is one of the more common types of cancer, and you can reduce your risk by covering up, staying in the shade, skipping the tanning bed, and wearing a sunscreen with at least 30 SPF whenever you're outside, even if it's overcast.
- Get vaccinated. The risk of cancers caused by pathogenic diseases such as hepatitis and HPV can be avoided or eliminated completely by being vaccinated against those diseases.
- Avoid risky behaviors. Injuries, infections, and drug interactions can generate conditions in the body or expose it to pathogens that might increase a person's risk of developing cancer. The best advice is to avoid doing risky things, but if that's not possible, stay mindful of what you're doing and look out for your body the best you can. Practice safer sex. Don't share needles. Stay hydrated. Rest.
- Get regular medical checkups. Cancer treatments are more effective the earlier the cancer is detected. Conduct self-exams for things like breast and testicular cancer, and share any concerns you have, whether you find something or not, with your own physician. Together, you can assess your risks and take any screening tests you agree on.
"The research shows that there are things you can do to try and prevent it, such as eating healthy, staying active, avoiding smoking, and things like that, but I think what really matters is to remember that to fight cancer as we know it, we must continue to work together," said Rosario Hernandez Ortiz, a development manager with the American Cancer Society.
For more information or to connect with cancer resources, you can call the American Cancer Society's multi-language helpline at 1-800-227-2345.
