Research has shown that more than 40 percent of all cancers diagnosed and nearly half of all deaths from cancer in the United States can be attributed to preventable causes – things like smoking, excess body weight, physical inactivity, and excessive exposure to the sun. As a result, steps like quitting smoking (or never starting in the first place), maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, protecting your skin from the sun, and getting vaccinated against the viruses that cause certain cancers can dramatically reduce your risk of certain cancers.
Seniors Excercising
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is committed to advancing the science of cancer prevention. The AACR Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Interception Committee helps to coordinate the long-term prevention agenda of the AACR. The committee helps develop initiatives to promote global cancer prevention, increase national awareness, and educate the lay public about cancer prevention. AACR works with a wide range of partners in biomedical research to develop strategies and promising approaches to prevention, aiming to stop cancer before it starts.
In the United States, many of the greatest reductions in cancer morbidity and mortality have been achieved through the implementation of effective public education and policy initiatives.
For example, such initiatives drove down cigarette smoking rates among U.S. adults by greater than twofold from 1965 to 2017. But three out of 10 cancer deaths are still caused by cigarette smoking, and lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for both men and women.
It remains imperative that we identify strategies to enhance the dissemination and implementation of our current knowledge of cancer prevention, and to implement effective evidence-based practices that reduce risky behaviors in all population groups.
Get more information about cancer prevention in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2020, including how modifying behaviors can impact cancer outcomes at their website: https://aacr.org. Article courtesy of AACR.