Physical Activity & Health e4 Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Reducing Your Cancer Risk

Cancer Is a Chilling Word • Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancer – 1 in 2 men – 1 in 3 women

• Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in the United States.

• Despite these grim statistics, the news about cancer is not all dreadful.

Deaths from Cancer

Data from Murphy, S.L., Jiaquan, X., & Kochanek,, K.D. (2012).

Deaths: Preliminary data for 2010. National Vital Statistics Reports 60(4): 1–67.

Good News Regarding Cancer • Preventing cancer is possible.

• “Cancer is potentially the most preventable and curable of the life-threatening diseases facing us today.”—Dr. John R. Seffrin • Cancer death rates are decreasing for the first time in decades.

Death Rates for All Cancers

–Reproduced from National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. (2011 December). Cancer Trends Progress Report—2007 Update. Bethesda, MD: Government Printing Office. Online: http://progressreport.cancer.gov.

Defining Cancer • Is a term given to a complex group of diseases characterized by the uncontrollable growth and spread of abnormal cells. • There are at least 100 different types of cancer, differing as to their cause, type of cell or organ affected, symptoms, and treatment.

Four Major Categories of Cancer • Carcinomas • Sarcomas • Lymphomas • Leukemias

Cancer Statistics

–Data from American Cancer Society. (2012). Cancer Facts and Figures 2012. Atlanta, GA: Author.

Origins of Cancer • Cancer is a disease of the cells of the body.

• Cancer happens when cells that are not normal continue to multiply when the body doesn’t need them to, and they form lumps or masses of tissue called tumors (except in the case of leukemia).

Normal and Cancer Cell Differences

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Tumor Types Benign tumors – Have well-defined boundaries, grow at a relatively slow pace, and demonstrate limited growth.

Malignant tumors – Are usually faster growing and can be fatal. They usually have irregular boundaries and invade the surrounding tissue instead of pressing it aside. – Most important, this primary tumor also sheds cells that travel through the bloodstream and lymphatic system, starting new tumor growth at other locations in the body. This process is called metastasis.

How Cancer Cells Multiply and Spread

Levels of Prevention Primary – Includes actions that keep the disease process or health condition from becoming established in the first place.

Secondary – Aims at early detection of asymptomatic disease though preventive screenings and tests.

Tertiary – Is treatment for a person who is symptomatic and ill and is typically offered by medical specialists.

Cancer Risk Factors

Data from Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention.

(1996). Harvard Report on Cancer Prevention.

Volume 1: Causes of Cancer. Netherlands: Springer.

Tobacco Use • Carcinogen means “cancer-causing”.

• Cigarette smoke – contains more than 60 carcinogens.

• Smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) – contains approximately 28 carcinogens.

Risk of Smoking Cigarettes

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009 December). Health effects of cigarette smoking. Online: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statis tics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_c ig_smoking/index.htm; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1989). Reducing the health consequences of smoking: 25 years of progress. A report of the surgeon general. Rockville, MD: Office of Smoking and Health.

Smokeless Tobacco and Oral Cancer

Š Ellis Neel/Alamogordo Daily News/AP Photos

Diet and Cancer • Some foods increase cancer risk and some foods decrease cancer risk.

• American Cancer Society (2012) encourages everyone to eat a healthy diet, with an emphasis on plant foods, and has issued the following guidelines for cancer prevention related to nutrition: – Choose foods and drinks in amounts that help you get to and maintain a healthy weight.

– Limit how much processed meat and red meat you eat.

– Eat at least 2½ cups of vegetables and fruits each day.

– Choose whole grains instead of refined grain products.

Diet and Cancer

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Diet and Cancer

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Diet and Cancer

Š Janpietruszka/Dreamstime.com

Obesity • In the United States, overweight and obesity contribute to between 15 and 20 percent of all cancers. • The biological mechanisms of being overfat that affect cancer risk include an increase in the level of several hormones, decreased immune function, and increased cell proliferation and growth.

Abdominal Fat and Cancer

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Sedentary Lifestyle • A number of studies indicate that physical activity may reduce the risk of several types of cancer, including cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, lung, and endometrium. • Regular physical activity aids in reducing the risk of cancer through its effect on maintaining a healthy body weight and stimulating and strengthening your immune system.

Infectious Agents • Cancer is not infectious—you can’t catch it from someone who has it—but being infected with some viruses and bacteria may increase the risk of developing cancer.

Infectious Agents That May Increase Cancer Risk • • • • • • •

Human papillomavirus Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses Human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus Human immunodeficiency virus Epstein-Barr virus Human herpes virus 8 Helicobactor pylori

Alcohol and Cancer Risk • Consumption of alcoholic beverages is causally related to cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus. • There is also evidence that suggests a link between alcoholic beverage consumption and cancer of the liver and breast.

Ultraviolet Radiation and Skin Cancer

Courtesy of the National Cancer Institute

What You Need To Know About Skin Cancer

Family History and Cancer Risk • Knowing your family history of cancer is important to properly assess your risk for certain types of cancer. • Approximately 5 to 10 percent of cancers are inherited. People may inherit defective or mutant genes that lead to a greater cancer risk.

Cancer Susceptibility Genes

Cancer Screening and Early Detection of Cancer Risk • Most cancers, when diagnosed early when there is relatively less malignant potential, are more responsive to treatment.

• Cancer screening – Refers to checking for cancer in people who have no symptoms of the disease.

Breast Examination

Testicular Examination

Treating Cancer • Most cancers that are not prevented can be treated successfully, resulting in long-term survival.

• Two out of every 3 cancer patients survive 5 years or longer after diagnosis and treatment.

• Most treatment plans include: – Surgery – Radiation – Chemotherapy