Only A Small Fraction Of Cancers Are Unpreventable

A significant number of Americans believe they have no power in preventing cancer, even though factors that remain out of their control — like genetics and family history — account for less than 20 percent of all cancers.
A recent Cancer Risk Awareness Survey confirms this pervasive information gap. According to the survey, released by the American Institute for Cancer Research earlier this month, 17 percent of participants believed that there was nothing they could to reduce their risk of getting cancer. Researchers also found that nearly 80 percent of respondents remained unaware that genetics’ impact on their cancer risk paled in comparison to poor diet and lack of exercise.
Respondents also expressed concern about food additives, genetically modified foods, stress, and hormones in beef as key causes of cancer — even though research does not support the idea that those are key factors in the development of cancer.
“Instead of focusing on factors that you can’t always control, we want Americans to learn more about the factors that you can and do control, every day,” Alice Bender, the organization’s associate director of nutrition programs, said in a press statement.
Cancer — which counts as the second leading cause of death worldwide — often involves abnormal cell growth that spreads throughout the body, eventually crippling and killing the afflicted. While death rates have been on the decline in recent decades, it still poses a significant threat among smokers, the obese, and those with poor diets. Making matters worse, the number of Americans who know about the benefits of diets high in fruits and vegetables have declined by 10 percentage points since 2009. And more than half of Americans remain unaware about the link between alcohol and cancer.
Recent information about the link between cancer and “bad luck” can further complicate matters to convince at-risk Americans to make lifestyle changes. A study published in the Science Journal earlier this year confirmed that 22 of 31 cancers examined occurred as a result of random gene mutations that occur when stem cell divide. While the groundbreaking research could help members of the medical profession improve their screenings for potential mutations, it could also fuel the misconception that people don’t need to take their lives into their own hands.
“The vast majority of research does not show that cancer is the result of bad luck,” Dr. David J. Hunter, a professor of cancer prevention and dean for academic affairs at the Harvard School of Public Health, wrote in an op-ed in the Boston Globe in response to the news coverage of that study. “The real question is whether we are going to take cancer prevention seriously by ensuring that populations in the United States and around the world have accurate information, are vaccinated against or treated for cancer-causing infections, and are less likely to engage in cancer-risk behaviors.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that concerned family members, friends, and neighbors of people at risk of developing cancer should use community resources — including low-cost cancer screenings, workshops, and support groups — to develop strategies that better inform people about the risks associate with unhealthy habits and sedentary living.
Other factors that the government agency suggests that outreach coordinators keep in mind when leading awareness campaigns in communities include income levels, language and cultural barriers, and cultural beliefs about cancer prevention. Those obstacles have often proven detrimental to African American and Latino populations.
That knowledge, or at least an acknowledgment, that lifestyle choices matter in reducing one’s cancer risk can do wonders for many Americans. Nearly a third of the most common cancers in the United States could be prevented if American exercise more, weighed less, and made healthier lifestyle choices, according to a another study conducted by the American Cancer Research Institute. The chances of developing malignant tumors also fell by 50 percent with avoidance of harmful ultraviolet rays. Heeding this advice could potentially cut annual medical costs by $20 billion.