1. Don’t use tobacco. If you do, quit. This is the single most important thing you can do to prevent cancer.

2. Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Fruits and vegetables may lower your risk for some kinds of cancer.

3. If you are a woman, age 50 or older, get a mammogram every one to two years.

4. There is no upper age limit for the Pap test. Even women who have gone through menopause should have regular checkups, including a pelvic exam and a Pap test.

5. Cancers of the colon and rectum are more likely to occur as people get older. Three tests can help find these cancers early: rectal exam, guaiac stool test, and colonoscopy. Ask your doctor how often you should have these tests.

6. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men, especially older men. Discuss with your doctor early detection tests and their benefits and drawbacks.

7. Avoid too much sunlight; wear protective clothing; use sunscreen.

8. Avoid unnecessary x-rays.

9. If you do have cancer, find out what your treatment choices are and which are best for you. And before getting treatment, get a second opinion from another doctor.

10. For more information about what you can do about cancer, call the National Cancer Institute’s toll-free Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

Source: National Cancer Institute

Copyright © 1996 Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation

Cancer, the second most common cause of death in the U.S. (after heart disease), affects every age group from newborns to the elderly. The best way to combat this deadly disease is to detect it at an early stage. If the detection is prompt, then the probability that cancer can be cured by surgical removal, radiation, chemotherapy, or hormonal therapy is much higher. The warning signals of cancer include the following:

1. Unusual bleeding or discharge from the mouth, rectum, bladder, or vagina

 2. A lump in the breast, armpit, groin, lip, tongue, or neck

 3. A sore that does not heal, particularly on the lips, tongue, ears, eyelids, or genital organs

 4. A change in bowel or bladder habits

 5. Hoarseness or persistent cough

 6. Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing

 7. Any change in the size or color of a wart or mole.

Regular checkups are helpful in detecting early signals of cancer. If you are between the ages of 20 and 40, you should have a cancer-related checkup every three years. Those in the age bracket who are at higher risk for certain cancers (because of family medical histories, age, life styles or types of jobs) should be tested more frequently.

For women, cancer-related checkups include an annual pap smear, monthly breast self-exam, a clinical breast exam annually and a baseline mammogram (done every three years for women over 35 and every year for women over 50).

For men over 40, cancer-related checkups include a prostate exam. Young men, ages 15-35, should perform monthly testicular self-examinations. All adults over 40 should have an annual proctoscopic examination testing for cancer of the colon or rectum.

The American Cancer Society makes two recommendations to further reduce your risk of cancer: stop smoking and follow dietary guidelines, which recommend reducing fat intake and increasing consumption of foods high in complex carbohydrates.