NEWS FEED

Steps can be taken to prevent some cancers

Written by Shawn Phillips, Staff Writer

It’s like I’m a walking testimony, as my family says, because I get to tell people what I went through all the time,” junior Hannah Watts said. “I had leukemia, but I don’t remember it all, which is a good thing. My parents tell me everything that happened, and I see pictures. It’s just kind of like, ‘Wow, I did go through a lot and it did change my life.’ It made me realize you never know what could happen, when it could happen, or who’s going to get cancer.”

Watts is one of a growing number of cancer survivors.  Almost 50 percent of people will get some form of cancer in their lifetime, according to available statistics, but Dr. Paul Kim, a local hematologist and oncologist, said there are ways to lower the chances.

“You have to know the risk of the cancer and what causes the cancer. Your family history is something you can’t avoid, unlike smoking and stuff like that,” Kim said. “Someone who has a mother who had breast cancer and a sister who had breast cancer has a higher risk of getting breast cancer.  But there are things that you can try to avoid: radiation exposure, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, viruses. Screening can help prevent some types of cancer.”

Factors that are uncontrolable include previous diagnosis of  cancer, genetic defects and family history.

“Over your past personal history, cancer is very important,” Kim said. “Some people have a genetic defect that can predispose them to getting cancer and those patients have to go through examinations and screenings earlier.”

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer researchers estimate that 75 to 80 percent of cancer patients contract cancer from environmental factors. The environment consists of what a person breathes, what he or she eats and where the person lives. Smoking, radiation, an unhealthy diet and alcohol consumption can all heighten the risks of getting cancer, Kim said.

“Environment is the most important factor in our life as a risk for cancer,” Kim said. “There’s second-hand smoking, so you might not smoke cigarettes, but then if your parents smoke at home or you’re in the restaurant that people smoke in you could contract cancer. If you are exposed to smoke from tobacco, you could get lung cancer or another type of cancer. So the environment you’re growing in is very important.”

Eating healthy food is a crucial part of avoiding health problems. Cancer.org reported that maintaining a healthy weight can lower a person’s chances of getting pancreatic, liver, colon, kidney and esophageal cancer.

“I think now people are more aware of the cancer risk and what constitutes as good food. It looks like the fast food industry is also paying attention,” Kim said. “They are serving some salads and fruit instead of just hamburgers, french fries and soda. When I talk to patients, they know what healthy food means.  The problem is they don’t follow that, necessarily, so that can be a problem. It’s not easy.”

Vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can prevent several types of cervical cancer in women, and consistent sunscreen use can prevent skin cancers.