10 important updates for World Cancer Day
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Today is World Cancer Day.
This year’s theme — “I Am and I Will” — calls for individuals around the world to make a personal commitment to reduce the global cancer burden, emphasizing that one person’s actions now can impact the future.
Part of the effort focuses on healthy lifestyle choices, such as getting sufficient physical activity, following a healthy diet, protecting against sun exposure, limiting alcohol and avoiding tobacco.
Other actions include knowing the signs and symptoms of cancer to ensure early detection and treatment, encouraging elected representatives to commit ample resources to reduce cancer mortality, and educating others about the impact lifestyle behaviors can have on cancer risk.
Union for International Cancer Control created World Cancer Day in 2000.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the observation, the organization commissioned a global survey of the public’s experiences with and views toward cancer. More than 15,000 adults from 20 countries participated.
The results showed knowledge of cancer risks and implementation of behaviors to limit risk varied greatly based on socioeconomic status.
Overall, the majority of survey respondents correctly indicated tobacco use (63%), exposure to harmful UV rays (54%) and exposure to tobacco smoke from others (50%) can increase cancer risk. However, a much lower percentage of respondents appeared aware that lack of exercise (28%), exposure to certain viruses or bacteria (28%) and being overweight (29%) also affect cancer risk.
Individuals from a lower-income household bracket were less likely than those in higher-income households to recognize cancer risk factors. Those with less education and less income also appeared less likely to take steps necessary to reduce cancer risk.
“It is unacceptable that millions of people have a greater chance of developing cancer in their lifetime because they are simply not aware of the cancer risks to avoid and the healthy behaviors to adopt — information that many of us take for granted,” Cary Adams, CEO of Union for International Cancer Control, said in a press release. “This is true around the world.”
In conjunction with this year’s World Cancer Day observance, HemOnc Today and Healio present the following updates that provide insights into strategies that could help reduce the global cancer burden.
- Most Americans lack knowledge of best cancer prevention practices, the dangers of e-cigarettes and available end-of-life care despite an abundance of published data. Read more.
- Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages appeared associated with a significantly increased risk for cancer. Researchers also observed a link between consumption of 100% fruit juices and cancer risk. Read more.
- Although cancer death rates in the U.S. continue to decline, biennial research from American Cancer Society showed that nearly half of all cancer deaths involve disease with known modifiable risk factors. Rates of certain modifiable cancer-risk factors varied substantially along racial/ethnic and educational achievement lines. Read more.
- Excess body weight is responsible for at least one in 17 new cancers in each state in the U.S. Read more.
- Occupational exposure to carcinogens often is overshadowed by smoking as a risk factor for lung cancer, yet it has been linked to an estimated 30% of lung cancers. Moreover, those who experience this exposure — including first responders — frequently are missed by lung cancer screening guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Read more.
- Adults in Taiwan exposed to radiation from CT scans demonstrated increased risk for thyroid cancer and leukemia. Researchers also observed a dose-response association for thyroid cancer, leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma among those aged 45 years and younger. Read more.
- Women aged 50 years and older who had sustained weight loss over more than 8 years demonstrated a decreased risk for breast cancer compared with women whose weight remained stable. Read more.
- Many LGBTQI+ Latinx individuals are afraid to share their gender identity and sexual orientation with a health care provider, and the vast majority do not receive tailored information on cancer screening and prevention. Read more.
- CDC data showed that most of the estimated 34,800 cancers attributed to HPV annually between 2012 and 2016 could have been prevented had the patient received the 9-valent HPV vaccine. Read more.
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that primary care physicians screen women with a familial risk assessment tool if they have family history of breast, ovarian, tubal or peritoneal cancer, or if they have an ancestry associated with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Read more.