Reduce Your Cancer Risk

While there isn't a known way to prevent cancer, making healthy choices can help reduce your chances of getting several types of cancer. While tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable cancers and cancer deaths, at least 18% of all cancers are related to excess body weight, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption and poor nutrition. Here are some ways you can be proactive with your health:

1. Don't Use Tobacco

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use is linked to at least 12 types of cancer, including lung cancer and cancers of the mouth and throat, stomach, kidney, pancreas, liver, bladder, cervix, colon, rectum and a type of leukemia
• Smoking causes 3 in 10 of all cancer deaths
• View American Cancer Society resources to quit tobacco
• Call the Nebraska Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or Spanish: 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (1-855-335-3569)
• Watch Video: "Keeping Current: Vaping Nicotine Among Youth" – Dr. Doug Fiedler, FCCP, pulmonologist with Nebraska Pulmonary Specialties, and Sadie Jensen, Public Health Educator with Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, share information about the effects of vaping and resources to quit.

2. Maintain a Healthy Weight

• Being overweight or obese is linked with higher risk for 13 different cancers, including breast, liver, colon, pancreatic, kidney, thyroid, uterine and ovarian.
• Talk with your primary care provider about a healthy weight for you.
• See numbers 3 and 4 below.
• Learn more about weight loss surgery.

3. Get Active

• Regular physical activity and exercise have been shown to reduce the risk of breast and colon cancers.
• Try to include at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine.

4. Watch Your Diet

• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and plants.
• Limit refined sugars.
• Consult with a nutritionist for a personalized plan.

5. Limit or Skip Alcohol

• Alcohol increases risk for breast, colon, liver, prostate, stomach and pancreatic cancers.
• The less alcohol you drink, the lower your risk.
• Concerned about excess drinking? Get an alcohol evaluation at the Bryan Independence Center.

6. Practice Sun Safety

• Skin cancer is a common type of cancer that is also preventable.
• Avoid direct and midday sun exposure, cover your skin and wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30.
• Don't use tanning beds.
• Learn more in this podcast with Dr. Gina Weir. She outlines the 3 main types of skin cancer, the early warning signs and ways to prevent it.

7. Get Vaccinated

• The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can help protect against cervical and other genital cancers, as well as squamous cell cancers of the head and neck.
  • Talk to your doctor about vaccinating your child starting between the ages of 9 and 12.
• The Hepatitis B vaccine decreases your risk of developing liver cancer.

8. Get Regular Check-ups and Screenings

• An annual physical with your health care provider and regular cancer screenings can help find cancer early, when it's most curable.
• Talk to your provider about the screenings that are right for you.
• Don't have a primary care provider? Find a doctor here. (Search for family practice or internal medicine)