Cancer Prevention and Screening

Cancer Prevention and Screening- The best way to control cancer is to prevent it. The most effective cancer prevention measure is smoking cessation. According to the  National Cancer Institute, cigarette smoking causes 87% of lung cancer deaths and is responsible for most cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, and bladder. The risk of cancer with smoking is  cumulative. Stopping at any age is beneficial; at first the risk plateaus, and then it may even decrease over time.

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A sedentary lifestyle and obesity increase the risk of many cancers such as breast, colon, endometrial, and prostate cancers. Exercise might  decrease the risk of breast cancer. One study, the Iowa Women's Health Study, suggests that intentionally losing weight might reduce the risk of obesity-related cancers. There is an increasing interest in using medications to prevent cancer. Studies have examined the use of aspirin to decrease the risk of colon  cancer in patients with colon adenomas (benign noncancerous growths)  with promising short-term results. However, at least one randomized  prevention study using very low-dose aspirin did not show a preventive  effect. Some epidemiological cohorts suggest that participants taking  statins (drugs that lower cholesterol levels) might also have a reduced risk of cancer.

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Another effective method of decreasing cancer mortality is to use screening tests to detect cancers at early stages, when they have the  highest chances of cure. The best-established screening test is the  Papanicolaou test, familiarly known as Pap smear. This test scrapes a few cells from the cervix of the uterus and analyzes them for signs of malignant transformation (change in cellular appearance suggestive of  the development of cancer tendency). This test has dramatically reduced  the mortality from cervical cancer in developed countries. In developing  countries, cervical cancer is still very much a concern, and large efforts to screen these women are being undertaken. The risk of cervical  cancer is highest in younger women. It is associated with infections with human papilloma virus. Women age 70 years and older in good health  who have had three normal Pap smears in a row can stop getting Pap smears. However, postmenopausal women are also at risk for endometrial cancer, so regular gynecological visits should be continued.