A new study found that changing your daily habits could lower the risk of cancer, and colon cancer was one of the cancers most affected by modifiable risk factors.
What Cancers Do Risk Factors Affect Most?
Risk factors do not affect all types of cancer equally. Cancer types that caused the highest number of deaths due to modifiable risk factors include the following:
- Lung cancer — 122,740 cases
- Colorectal cancer — 25,800 cases
- Liver cancer — 14,720 cases
- Esophageal cancer — 13,600
Modifiable Risk Factors You Can Influence
Genetics can affect your cancer risk, but diet and lifestyle are just as important. New research from the American Cancer Society suggests making lifestyle changes can reduce cancer risk in four out of 10 cases and half of cases in people 30 and older.
These findings, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, reinforce that people can modify their risk for cancer and cancer death — including colon cancer — by making intentional changes in their day-to-day choices. Some of these choices include the following:
- Stop smoking or do not begin smoking. Smoking tobacco or being exposed to tobacco is known to cause cancer.
- Eat a nutritious diet. Consuming high amounts of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fiber can help prevent obesity and cancer. Limit eating fast food and other processed foods, which contain high amounts of fats, sugars and starches.
- Be physically active. Regular exercise prevents weight gain and protects against colon, breast and endometrial cancer.
- Limit eating red and processed meat. Red and processed meat cause colon cancer, so limit your intake of beef, pork and lamb, and avoid processed meat.
- Avoid consuming sugary drinks. Sweet beverages can cause weight gain and obesity in adults and children. Water and unsweetened beverages are best for your health.
- Drink alcohol only on special occasions. Alcohol can cause cancers of the mouth, pharynx and larynx, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, breast and stomach.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Try to keep your weight within the healthy range throughout life. Aim for a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5-24.9 and reduce excess body fat.
- Do not use supplements to prevent cancer. Healthy food is more likely to protect against cancer than dietary supplements.
Most risk factors relate to food choices and body weight. Adopting a long-term healthy lifestyle with regular physical activity will benefit your overall health and reduce your chances of developing cancer.
“Interventions to help maintain healthy body weight and diet can also substantially reduce the number of cancer cases and deaths in the country, especially given the increasing incidence of several cancer types associated with excess body weight — particularly in younger individuals,” said lead author Farhad Islami, MD, PhD, senior scientific director for cancer disparity research at the American Cancer Society.
Excess body weight contributed to 7.6 percent of cancers, followed by alcohol use (5.4 percent), UV exposure (4.6 percent) and sedentary lifestyle (3.1 percent), according to the study.
Smoking cigarettes is a primary risk factor for lung cancer and colon cancer, as well as many other types of cancer. Smoking also increases the risk of developing colon polyps. The study found that smoking accounting for 20 percent of cancer cases and 30 percent of cancer-related deaths.
Colon Cancer Screenings Save Lives
Routine screenings are one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). It usually takes about 10 to 15 years for growths called polyps to develop into colon cancer. Screening can detect polyps or colon cancer early when it is easiest to treat.
Several colon cancer screening tests are available, but colonoscopy is the most comprehensive. A colonoscopy allows a doctor to visually inspect the entire colon and remove precancerous polyps, called adenomas, in the same procedure. Other screening tests — like stool tests, CRC blood test, CT colonography and flexible sigmoidoscopy — are less invasive, but you must have a follow-up colonoscopy if any of these tests are positive.
Most insurance plans provide coverage for colon cancer screening beginning at 45, but call your insurance provider for more details about your health plan.
Make an Appointment with a Gastroenterologist for a Colorectal Cancer Screening
Individuals with an average risk for colon cancer might only require a colonoscopy every 10 years to screen for the disease. Therefore, it is important to choose a skilled GI doctor who has a high adenoma detection rate (ADR). ADR is the percentage of time that a gastroenterologist finds at least one precancerous polyp during a screening colonoscopy.
Do you need to find a GI center near you? Our physicians are located nationwide and are accepting new patients. Call today to make an appointment.