Smoking contributes to 30 per cent of all cancers, including cancers of the bladder, cervix, throat, kidney and mouth. It is responsible for 90 per cent of all lung cancer, is Scotland’s biggest killer and is a disease which kills one person every 15
minutes in the UK.
The incidence is still rising in women. Giving up smoking, on average, adds three years to your life. Most chemotherapy drugs cannot, on average, match that result.
CHANGE your diet. It is estimated that a third of all cancers have links to diet. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published a report confirming fruit and vegetable consumption reduces the risk of cancer of the lung, stomach and oesophagus. The WHO working group estimates that one in ten cancers in western Europe is due to insufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables in the diet. The figure is likely to be much higher in Scotland, home of the deep-fried everything.
EXERCISE. Cancers of the breast and uterus have been linked to obesity in post-menopausal women and there are suggestions that regular exercise may protect against cancer of the bowel and kidneys. One of the problems some cancer patients face is that they are not fit enough to undergo the most effective treatments. For others, illnesses linked to obesity or poor fitness levels, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, makes their cancer more complicated to treat.
REDUCE your alcohol intake. A high level of alcohol consumption over a long period of time is a risk factor for cancer of the mouth, throat and oesophagus. It is also a risk factor for breast cancer. Alcoholics have an increased risk of cancer of the liver, pancreas and bowel.
APPLY suntan lotion. There are 46,000 new cases of skin cancer each year in Britain and the numbers are rising. Most are curable, but nearly all are preventable.
DON’T be shy. In general, the earlier the diagnosis, the better the prognosis. The prospects for breast, skin, testicular and bowel cancer in particular are much better if caught early. Changes in those organs should be reported to your GP immediately. An estimated 15,000 Scots die of cancer each year. So far, nobody has died of embarrassment.
GO for screening. There is controversy about the value of screening programmes, which exist for breast and cervical cancer. They may catch relatively few cases, but if you are one of the few, that doesn’t tend to be an issue. There are pilot schemes screening for bowel cancer in Fife, Tayside and Grampian, which is expected to be rolled out nationwide.
CHOOSE your parents carefully. Between 5 and 10 per cent of cancer is caused by faulty genes inherited from one or both parents. If half your aunts and uncles on one side of the family have died young from a particular cancer, alarm bells should ring. Have your GP refer you to a specialist cancer clinic where you can be offered advice on screening, prevention and possible genetic testing.
MOVE to a big city. The new system of managed clinical networks is designed to eradicate inequality in cancer care. It won’t happen overnight, however, and there is strong evidence that if you contract cancer you will do better if treated by a specialist in your disease and as part of a multidisciplinary team (where a number of senior doctors from a range or specialisms share your care). You are more likely to get this approach in the big city teaching hospitals.
FILL out that private healthcare insurance form. In Scotland, very little cancer care is carried out in the private sector, but for some who get it, it can mean the option of being treated at home. It can also mean the possibility of getting new or expensive cancer drugs which are sometimes rationed on the NHS.
BE lucky. You can do all of the above and still get cancer. The main cause of cancer is bad luck. It’s not your fault.
DON’T worry. Whatever it is you’ve got, the chances are that it isn’t cancer. About 75 per cent of us will die from something else.
The full article contains 729 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
