Prevent cancer!

Don’t wait, prevent!

• Lung cancer screening is recommended for adults who smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, have a 20-pack-year or more smoking history, and are between 50 and 80 years old.
• Women between the ages of 40-75 are encouraged to get a mammogram every one or two years to detect early signs of breast cancer. 
• Adults between the ages of 45 to 75 are encouraged to get colorectal screening for colon cancer.
• Women ages 21 to 65 years are encouraged to get screened for cervical cancer via a Pap smear every 2-3 years.
• For men starting at age 40, a PSA should be offered to evaluate prostate health. This is done with blood work and is recommended annually. 

How to decrease your risk

1. Don’t smoke
   1. Smoking and exposure to second hand smoke cause 90% of lung cancers deaths.
   2. Chronic exposure to tobacco can also cause larynx, mouth and throat, esophageal, bladder, and other cancers.
2. Protect your skin
   1. Skin cancer is one of the most common and most preventable cancers.
   2. Sun screen even on cloudy days decreases UV ray exposure and lessens the chance for developing abnormal cell growth
3. Maintain a healthy weight
   1. Overweight and obesity has been linked to an increased risk for certain cancers like endometrial, uterine, breast, and colorectal. 
   2. Physical activity, healthy eating habits, and lifestyle interventions can help mitigate this risk
4. Limit alcohol intake
   1. Heavy and binge drinking has been linked to increase risk of liver, colon, rectal, mouth, pharyngeal, laryngeal, and esophagus cancer.
   2. The CDC recommends men have no more than 2 alcoholic drinks a day and women no more than 1.
5. Practice safe sex, get tested, and get vaccinated.
   1. Unprotected sex can spread HPV and hepatitis B. If left untreated HPV can cause cervical cancer, throat and oral cancer, anus and penile cancer while hepatitis B can lead to liver cancer.
6. Know your family medical history
   1. Knowing your family cancer history can help you and your provider decide which screening tests you need, when you need them, and how often.
   2. It’s better to find cancer early than to wait for symptoms. 
7. Make sure you participate in basic screening tests like colonoscopies, PSA blood work, mammograms, and pap smears.
   

At Deerwood Family Practice we offer Invitae Testing that screens for 85 genetic cancer markers. We also offer Galleri testing which looks for active cancer tumor DNA in the blood.

https://www.dhd10.org/national-cancer-prevention-month-february-2023/

https://cancerprogressreport.aacr.org/progress/cpr22-contents/cpr22-preventing-cancer-identifying-risk-factors/

https://www.chcw.org/february-is-national-cancer-prevention-month/