Thought Leadership in Action

A recent report by the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2016 there will be about 167,650 cancer deaths caused by tobacco use. What’s more, 25-33% of all the approximately 1,685,210 cancer cases that occur in 2016 can be attributed to poor nutrition, physical inactivity, overweight, and obesity. Bottom line: Much of the suffering and death from cancer can be prevented through lifestyle changes and screening.

Over the past few years, new research has mounted that shows how effective these strategies can be in the battle against cancer. In fact, lifestyle changes and screening appear to be some of the most powerful weapons to prevent some of the most common types of malignancies - colon, breast and prostate cancer.

Colon Cancer Screening

Two large studies recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed the positive long-term effects of colon cancer screening. One study followed over 33,000 people who participated in the Minnesota Colon Cancer Control Study trial for about 30 years. Half of these research subjects received a fecal occult blood test (a positive test warranted additional screening to remove cancerous growths or precancerous polyps) every one or two years while the others skipped screenings.

The results were dramatic. The colorectal cancer risk for people who were in the group screened yearly was slashed by almost a third; those who were tested every other year had their risk reduced by almost a fourth.

The second study involved 88,000 people from two different groups, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which included physicians. The participants recorded what they ate and their medical history (including whether they had a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy) and reported the information to researchers every two years. This huge amount of data collected for 22 years revealed that people who had screening colonoscopies were more than 50 percent less likely to develop future colon cancer. Those who had polyps removed by the procedure had a 40% reduction in cancer risk. Sigmoidoscopy (a more limited exam looking at the left side of the colon) also slashed the risk of colon cancer by 40 percent.

A report published by ACS researchers in the March/April issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians shows that colon cancer incidence rates have dropped 30% in the U.S. in the last 10 years among adults 50 and older due to the increased use of colonoscopy. However, the ACS is pushing to increase screening rates to 80% by 2018.

"These continuing drops in incidence and mortality show the lifesaving potential of colon cancer screening; a potential that an estimated 23 million Americans between ages 50 and 75 are not benefiting from because they are not up to date on screening," said Richard C. Wender, M.D., American Cancer Society chief cancer control officer.

Exercise and the Prevention of Breast and Prostate Cancer

Researchers have found that incorporating regular exercise into a healthy lifestyle may help prevent some cancers, reduce the risk of recurrences in cancer survivors and extend life.

For example, scientists at the University of Minnesota recently published a study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention showing that aerobic exercise causes beneficial changes in how estrogen is metabolized in the body and that may explain how aerobic exercise lowers a woman's breast cancer risk. "Ours is the first study to show that aerobic exercise influences the way our bodies break down estrogens to produce more of the 'good' metabolites that lower breast cancer risk," lead researcher Mindy S. Kurzer, Ph.D., said.

Numerous studies have also found a strong association between physical activity and extended survival and higher quality of life among women who have survived breast cancer. Unfortunately, according to research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists, it turns out that few breast cancer survivors are getting enough exercise during the 10 years after being diagnosed. The research team found that less than 8% of the survivors studied met the minimum U.S. physical activity guidelines, which call for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or at least 75 minutes per week of vigorous activity.

"The American Cancer Society recommends that cancer survivors exercise for at least 150 minutes per week. Most survivors may also benefit from strength training exercises at least two days per week" said Caitlin Mason, Ph.D., who worked on the study. "For survivors who have not been previously active, we advise that they gradually work up to these recommendations."

Men who have had prostate cancer and who have higher levels of exercise also have been shown to lower their risk of a recurrence and premature death. But why? Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco may have discovered the answer. They’ve found that men who walked at a fast pace prior to a prostate cancer diagnosis had more regularly shaped blood vessels in their prostate tumors compared with men who walked slowly – and previous research has shown that treatment of prostate malignancies that contain more of these regularly shaped blood vessels has a more favorable outcome.

"Our findings suggest a possible mechanism by which exercise may improve outcomes in men with prostate cancer," said Erin Van Blarigan, Sc.D., who headed the study. "It is reasonable to hypothesize that the same explanation could exist for the beneficial effects of exercise in other cancers."

More Good News About Lifestyle Changes and Cancer

Plant rich diets and bladder cancer prevention. The ACS predicts that almost 76,960 Americans will be diagnosed with bladder cancer this year and over 16,390 will die from the disease. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers say half of bladder cancers are linked to cigarette smoking – and now comes news of another lifestyle connection to the disease.

University of Hawaii Cancer Center research has revealed that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of bladder cancer by over 50%, especially in women. "Our study supports the fruit and vegetable recommendation for cancer prevention," said researcher Song-Yi Park, PhD.

Prevent type 2 diabetes to help prevent breast and colon cancer. Researchers from Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam presented evidence at the European Cancer Congress last fall that type 2 diabetes increases the risk of developing breast and colon cancers. In all, the research team analyzed results from 20 studies involving over 1.9 million people. They found that patients with diabetes had a 23% increased risk of breast cancer and an almost 40% increased risk of dying from the disease compared to non-diabetic patients. Diabetic patients also had a 26% increased risk of developing colon cancer and a 30 percent increased risk of dying from it compared to non-diabetic patients.

Why is this good news? The most common form of diabetes, type 2, is linked to obesity and lack of exercise – and that suggests that controlling weight and increasing physical activity may not only improve and/or prevent type 2 diabetes, but it could help prevent cancer, too.

"We want to make people more aware of this problem (the association between diabetes and cancer) and we hope that prevention campaigns regarding obese and diabetic patients will focus on highlighting this increased risk," researcher Dr. De Bruijn stated. "It is extremely important that prevention campaigns on obesity and diabetes are intensified."