We can all help to prevent cancer
A healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk
VITAL research and new treatments mean more lives are saved from cancer every year.
But while survival in the UK has doubled over the last 40 years, there is still much more to be done by tackling some of the causes so that fewer people are diagnosed with the disease.
According to studies by Cancer Research UK, each year four in 10 cases in the UK could have been prevented.
Smoking is the largest single preventable cause of cancer, with an estimated 19% of cases linked to tobacco.
Being overweight or obese is linked to 5% of cancer cases in the UK each year – making it the second biggest cause of the disease – yet just 15% of people know that cancer and weight are connected.
Professor Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK’s cancer prevention expert, says: “If we’re going to prevent cancer, people need to know about the risks – and what they can do right now to stack the odds in their favour.”
If trends continue, it’s estimated that almost threequarters (72%) of the UK population will be overweight or obese by 2035 − that could cause an extra 670,000 cases of cancer over the next 20 years.
But the good news is that the issue is being tackled from all angles. Cancer Research UK is launching a national advertising campaign today to raise awareness of the link between obesity and cancer. They are also asking the government to take action by restricting the marketing of junk food to children. The charity is committed to tackling cancers that could be prevented through lifestyle factors, such as eating a healthy balanced diet, drinking less alcohol, being more physically active and enjoying the sun safely. They are doing this by making people aware of what they can do to reduce the risk of cancer, as well as working with the government so the healthier choice is the easiest choice for everyone.
Cancer Research UK also funds pioneering research exploring the causes of cancer.
Professor Sir Mike Stratton, director of the Welcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge – along with his international team – has uncovered patterns of damage to the DNA inside cancer cells that can’t be linked to a known cause.
Professor Stratton says: “As cells go through life, they pick up mistakes in the DNA; a cell develops its own distinct mutational ‘fingerprint’.”
Scientists have uncovered around 50 mutational ‘fingerprints’ and the causes of half of them.
Now, with help of £20m from Cancer Research UK’s Grand Challenge Award, the team aim to fill in the gaps and tie the patterns to a cause.
Their goal is to improve our understanding of what causes cancer – and prevent more cases.
If successful, Professor Stratton’s work could lead to better information for people looking to reduce their risk of cancer.
It’s research like this that will help fewer people develop the disease in the future.