Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — Cancer deaths in the United States have fallen 33% since 1991, with an estimated 3.8 million lives saved. This is often due to advances in early detection and treatment. However, 10 million people around the world will lose their lives due to cancer in 2020.
Over the past three years, cancer has remained one of the leading causes of death worldwide, according to the American Cancer Society’s chief patient officer, Dr. Arif Kamal.
Experts stated that the symptoms of cancer may mimic the symptoms of many other diseases, so it may be difficult to distinguish between them.
Kamal explained, “We tell the patients that if they develop symptoms that do not improve after a few weeks, they should visit the doctor,” adding, “But this does not mean that they will be diagnosed with cancer.”
Increased cases among young people
Instead of waiting for symptoms to appear, the key to preventing cancer lies in taking preventative measures and getting tested to detect the disease in its early stages.
Experts considered that this is very important in light of the high incidence of new cancers worldwide.
Many people under the age of 50 have been diagnosed with the disease, according to a 2022 review by Harvard scientists of the research available.
Since the 1990s, cases of breast, colon, esophagus, gallbladder, kidney, liver, pancreas, prostate, stomach, and thyroid have increased in people ages 50, 40, and even 30.
Kamal noted that this is unusual for a disease that usually affects people over the age of 60.
The oldest cells in the body suffer damage from environmental toxins and an unhealthy lifestyle, and this makes them vulnerable to cancerous mutation.
“We thought it took time for it to happen, but if someone was 35 years old when they got cancer, the question is: what might have happened?” Kamal said.
No one knows for sure, but smoking, alcohol consumption, air pollution, obesity, physical inactivity, and a diet low in fruits and vegetables are major risk factors for cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Kamal stressed that cancer prevention begins in the twenties.
Explore your family history
Many of the most common cancers, including breast, bowel, stomach and prostate, are hereditary, which means that if a close relative has been diagnosed with the disease, the possibility is that you inherited a susceptibility to this cancer as well.
Therefore, it is important to know the health history of your family, as Kamal suggested that young people sit with their grandparents and relatives to learn about family diseases that are inherited from generations, and write them down.
“The average person does not actually know the level of accuracy that is useful in identifying risks,” Kamal said, adding: “When I talk to patients, what they will say is the following: Yes, my grandmother had cancer.” Cancer was diagnosed, and what was the exact type of cancer? And I need to know if she got cancer in her 30s or 60s, as that determines your risk level. But they don’t often know.”
Next, doctors need to know what happened to the person, whether the cancer is aggressive, and how well it responds to treatment.
Examine yourself
If your family history is free of cancer, this reduces your risk of developing it, but it does not eliminate it.
You can reduce your risk of developing cancer by eating a healthy, rich, plant-based diet, getting the recommended amount of exercise and sleep, limiting your alcohol consumption, and not smoking or using e-cigarettes.
You should also protect yourself from the sun, as harmful ultraviolet rays damage the DNA in skin cells, which is the main risk factor for skin cancer.
Kamal pointed out that skin cancer can also appear in areas that do not reach the sun’s rays, such as the armpits, the genital area, and those between the toes.
According to Kamal, it is important that you get seen by a dermatologist once a year.