Cancer Prevention

There is a possibility of preventing most cancers. A disease that is
regarded as the greatest health threat by the public is highlighted in this
message. In spite of this, most people are unsure of what they can do to
reduce their risk. The overwhelming amount of cancer studies and media
coverage we encounter each week is not surprising. Even experts find it
difficult to understand. In this article, I will guide you how to prevent cancer.

Best Ways to Prevent Cancer

Making healthy choices can lower your risk of getting a number of
common types of cancer. Some cancers can be detected early by
screening tests, when treatments are most effective. A number of types of cancer can be prevented with vaccines. Here are some tips for
reducing your cancer risk.

  • Avoid smoking
  • Stay in a healthy weight range
  • Regular exercise is essential
  • Make sure you eat a healthy diet
  • Moderately consume alcohol
  • Make sure you protect yourself from the sun
  • Stay healthy by protecting yourself from infections
  • Make sure you get regular screenings.

Avoid smoking

Smokers are more likely to die from smoking-related diseases like
cancer, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than
anyone else. Over 5 million people die every year from tobacco use and
the number is expected to rise to 1 billion by the end of the century. It is
important not to smoke in order to prevent cancer and other chronic
diseases.
In recent years, electronic cigarettes have grown immensely in
popularity and are often marketed as a safer alternative to conventional
tobacco cigarettes. Various battery-powered devices are available,
including electronic cigarettes, vape pens, personal vaporizers, and
hookah pens, which work by aerosolizing nicotine-containing liquids.

Stay in a healthy weight range:

Despite the fact that obesity is one of the most important risk factors for
cancer, approximately half of the population is unaware of this

association. The adoption of healthy lifestyle habits and the
maintenance of a healthy weight can prevent nearly half of cancerrelated deaths. The risk of breast, colon, kidney, pancreas, esophagus, ovary, and prostate cancers has been strongly linked to being
overweight or obese.

In addition, obesity increases the risk of cancers of the liver and
gallbladder, as well as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
Each cancer increases its risk differently as a result of weight. There is a
growing burden of weight-related cancers, heart disease, strokes, and
diabetes that can be attributed to the prevalence of obesity and
overweight. There has been an increase in obesity rates across the
country over the last two decades.

Regular exercise is essential:

Physical activity is well known for its health benefits. Besides reducing
the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and high blood
pressure, it is also helpful in preventing cancer. Both premenopausal and
postmenopausal women are less likely to develop breast cancer if they
exercise regularly. It is likely that walking or riding a bike regularly lowers risk in several ways.

The immune system can be improved, helping the body fight off cancercausing infections. Hormone levels in the blood can be maintained with
it. It can also help women maintain a healthy weight. Colon cancer
seems to be prevented primarily by exercise, which can keep insulin
levels in check, which can prevent certain hormones and growth factors
from promoting colon cancer.

Make sure you eat a healthy diet:

The importance of a healthy diet in managing overall health and
reducing cancer risk cannot be overstated. It is well-established that
eating habits have a significant impact on cancer risk, despite news
coverage that has been at times confusing or misleading. As it turns out,
calories are more important when it comes to cancer risk than fat or
meat or fruits and vegetables.

The single most important diet change is to keep calories under control,
so weight stays under control. Besides calorie intake, good evidence
indicates that a risk-reducing diet involves high plant-based, low animalbased, and low sodium intake. Multivitamins with folate are a great way
to provide nutrition insurance and additional protection against a
number of chronic diseases and cancers.

Moderately consume alcohol:

There is a complex relationship between alcohol and health. There is
very good evidence that moderate alcohol consumption in older adults
can significantly lower their risk of cardiovascular disease while studies
consistently show that drinking even a small amount of alcohol can
increase the risk of two common cancers: breast and colon. It is crucial
to balance these risks and benefits. Even though moderate intake has
proven benefits for older adults, nondrinkers should not be encouraged
to start drinking due to the cancer risk and dependence potential.

Drinking moderately does not need to stop for most adults. It is
important to encourage all heavy drinkers to reduce their consumption
to a moderate level, or stop altogether. It is increasingly clear that
drinking during youth and young adulthood contributes significantly to
breast cancer risk later in life. Alcohol should be completely avoided by
youth.

Make sure you protect yourself from the sun:

Skin cancer, including serious melanoma, is well known to be caused by
excessive sun exposure. A key public health message is proper sun
protection in light of the steadily rising melanoma rates worldwide. In
particular, youth and young adults should avoid using tanning beds.
According to a study, any level of tanning bed use increased the risk of
melanoma by around 20 percent.

You can lower your risk of melanoma by taking the following steps:

  • Never use a tanning bed
  • You should avoid the sun during peak hours of burning
  • Keep a wide brimmed hat on your head and wear long-sleeve shirts
    and long pants
  • Protect yourself from the sun by applying broad-spectrum sunscreen
  • Be a role model for kids by protecting them from the sun.

Stay healthy by protecting yourself from infections:

There is no doubt that infections play an important role in the
development of some cancers, but they are not well known to the
general public. Cancer can be caused directly or indirectly by certain
infections. An infectious agent can change the behavior of infected cells
when it causes chronic inflammation caused by some infections. By
reducing the body’s ability to defend against infections that can cause
cancer, infections that compromise the immune system also increase
cancer risk.

Cancers associated with infection do not affect everyone equally.
Globally, chronic infections are more likely to cause cancer due to poor
living conditions and inadequate health care. The risk of cancer can be
increased by at least ten infectious agents, including several common
ones. It takes a unique set of factors along with the infection to turn normal cells into cancerous, which is why only a small portion of those infected develop the disease.

Make sure you get regular screenings:

To protect against cancer, it is crucial to have regular cancer screening
tests. Screening tests can not only detect cancers early when they’re
most treatable, but they can also help prevent cancers, such as colon
and cervical cancer. In order to prevent colon cancer, screening tests for
adenomatous polyps, which can become cancer, are conducted in order
to find and remove these abnormal growths.

A screening test, in addition to prevent cancer, is crucial for finding
the disease early while it can still be treated. The screening of breasts,
cervicals, and colons should be a priority for women. Men should
prioritize colon screening. Low-dose CTs can be beneficial and harmful
to smokers between ages 55 and 74 who are currently or have been
heavy smokers.

When to See an Oncologist in Nepal?

When it comes to preventing and treating cancer effectively in Nepal,
you should consult a cancer specialist as soon as possible. You can either
go for a medical oncologist or a surgical oncologist. The best cancer
doctor will help you get the best treatment so far. As per the top medical
oncologist in Nepal, Dr. Sudip Shrestha, you must be able to share every
experience of yours with your cancer doctor. So, the entire treatment
procedure will become much easier for you and your doctor as well.

Dr.Sudip Shrestha
Founder & Executive Chairman Sr. Consultant Medical Oncologist Nepal Cancer Hospital & Research Center

Designation: Founder and Chairman, Senior Consultant Medical Oncologist

Qualification: MBBS, MD, Post Graduate Training in Medical Oncology

Department: Medical Oncology

Special interest: Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, Targeted Therapy, Precision Medicine

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