Cancer prevention:
a healthy diet can help!
Epidemiological studies indicate that the frequent consumption
of fruit and vegetables may reduce the risk of developing cancers of epithelial origin, including
carcinomas of the pharynx, larynx, lung, oesophagus, stomach,colon and cervix. Recent data from the European
Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPICsuggests that a daily consumption of 500 grams (1.1. lbs.)
of fruits and vegetables can decrease incidence of cancers of the digestive tract by up to 25 per cent.
impact of diet on cancer, many countries should encourage
consumption of locally produced vegetables, fruit and agricultural products, and avoid the adoption of
Western style dietary habits. IARC says that such actions would have health benefits beyond cancer,
since other common non-communicable diseases,
notably cardiovascular disease and diabetes, share the same lifestyle-related risk factors.
Early detection – the best strategy second to primary prevention The best possible prevention against
cancer remains the avoidance of exposure to cancer-causing agents: this is called primary prevention
(eg tobacco, industrial carcinogens, etc).observed in several countries is to a significant
extent due to early detection. Responsible for this success are not only improvements in imaging
(mammography, magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) imaging),
but also a higher degree of disease awareness and educational programmes on typical early symptoms.
Most successful so far has been the early detection
of cervical cancer by cytology and of breast cancer by mammography.
A recent analysis by an IARC Working Group
concluded that under trial conditions, mammography
screening may reduce breast cancer mortality by 25-30 per cent and that in nation-wide screening
programmes a reduction by 20 per cent appears feasible.
cancer screening by assessment of serum PSA levels may
result in lower mortality rates but management of early lesions is still very invasive. For colon cancer,
colonoscopy is considered the gold standard althoughits application in population-based screening
programmes would require considerable medical resources.
0 comments: to “ Cancer prevention: ”
Post a Comment