Preventing Cancers

Preventing Cancers

Now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to Shield, a blood test used to screen for colon cancer, medical providers have a new tool in their arsenal to fight colon cancer. The non-invasive blood test, manufactured by Guardant Health, identifies DNA that cancerous tumors release in the bloodstream.

One study found that Shield was 83 percent effective in detecting colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States and the cause of an estimated 53,000 deaths a year, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). 

The test is not designed to replace colonoscopies since patients would still be required to undergo the procedure if Shield’s results indicate that cancer is present. The colonoscopy would allow doctors to find out where the tumors are and how far they have progressed.

Doctors had already been using Shield, but patients had to pay $895 to take the test. Guardant announced in August that Medicare will now cover the test once every three years for eligible Medicare beneficiaries. With FDA’s approval and Medicare’s coverage, Guardant hopes that private insurance companies will also cover Shield’s cost. 

What Causes Lung Cancer?

It’s a well-known fact that smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, accounting for about 80 percent of deaths, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). 

However, people who have never smoked can unfortunately develop the disease. The ACS cites several factors that can contribute to non-smokers getting lung cancer: 

  • Exposure to secondhand smoke
  • Air pollution
  • Asbestos
  • Diesel exhaust
  • Radon
  • Radioactive gas with no smell or color that typically found in rocks, soil, and burning coal and fossil fuels

The ACS adds that people can develop lung cancer from “random events that don’t have an outside cause” as well as “factors that we don’t yet know about.”

The ACS estimates that about 234,580 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in 2024, while about 125,000 people will die from the disease. 

Health experts are encouraged by the fact that cancer rates are decreasing due, in part, to more people are attempting to quit smoking and advanced medical technology can catch lung cancer in its early stages. But health officials say more can be done to reduce the threat of lung cancer, namely for people to quit smoking. 

“The health benefits of stopping smoking begin within minutes, so it’s never too late to stop,” Dr. Ellison-Barnes, an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins Tobacco Treatment and Cancer Screening Clinic, told USA TODAY.

According to the ACS, the first common signs of lung cancer include:

  • An ongoing or worsening cough
  • Coughing up blood or rust-colored phlegm
  • Ongoing or recurring infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia
  • Chest pain that worsens with deep breathing, laughing, or coughing
  • Unexplained weight loss and/or loss of appetite
  • Feeling tired, weak, or short of breath
  • Wheezing or hoarseness

The ACS recommends that people who develop these symptoms see a doctor as soon as possible. 

Lifestyle Changes May Help To Reduce Risk Factors of Cancer Threat

Steering clear of smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and severe obesity are among the lifestyle changes people can make to lower the risk of cancer, according to a study by the American Cancer Society (ACS). 
The study attributed 40 percent of new cancer cases and about one-half of all cancer deaths in adults 30 years and older to modifiable risk factors. The top five risk factors were:
 

  • Cigarette smoking accounts for 19.3 percent of cancer cases.
  • Excess body weight was linked to 7.6 percent of cancer cases.
  • Alcohol consumption caused 5.4 percent of cases.
  • Ultraviolet radiation exposure accounted for 4.6 percent of cases.
  • Physical activity was associated with 3.1 percent of the deaths.

Researchers reviewed 30 types of cancer but did not include non-melanoma skin cancers. Statistics for the report, published in the journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, were based on cancer cases and cancer deaths in 2019. 

Researchers also found that lung cancer had the largest number of cases associated with preventable risk factors, with 201,660 cancer cases (104,410 lung cancer cases in men and 97,250 in women) and 122,740 deaths.

“Despite considerable declines in smoking prevalence during the past few decades, the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to cigarette smoking in the United States is alarming,” Dr. Farhad Islami, the ACS’s senior scientific director, cancer disparity research and lead author of the report, said in a press release. 

The study’s purpose is not to shame people who smoke, drink, or are involved in other high-risk behavior, Dr. Ernest Hawk, vice president and head of cancer prevention and population sciences at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, told USA TODAY. The goal is to help orient people “toward helpful behaviors and helpful policies that can assist them in making that choice easier.”

The ACS, along with other medical professionals, say there are practical changes people can make in their daily lives to reduce the risk of developing cancer. 

Since oncologists specialize in diagnosing and treating specific types of cancer, The Guardian asked cancer specialists to share tips on the simple things they do to avoid the disease:

  • 1. Don’t smoke.
  • 2. Maintain a healthy weight.
  • 3. Limit consumption of red and processed meats. According to Mark Saunders, a consultant clinical oncologist at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, England, an estimated 13 percent of bowel cancer cases are associated with eating too much processed or red meat.
  • 4. Avoid ultra-processed foods. These foods have added fats, starches, starches, salt, and sugar.
  • 5. Drink less alcohol. Some oncologists say they drink occasionally, while others do not. Dr Shivan Sivakumar, an oncologist in Birmingham, England, summed it up this way: “Don’t drink to excess. But enjoy your life.”
  • 6. Stay physically active.
  • 7. Manage stress.

The cancer specialists also urge people to stay up to date with cancer screenings and visit their doctors when they know that “things are not right” in their body, such as having pain, coughing up blood, or seeing a lump grow—all symptoms of cancer.

Most importantly, oncologists encourage people who receive a cancer diagnosis not to be afraid to talk about it or receive treatment.

“Cancer affects one in two people in their lifetime,” Professor Pat Price, co-founder of Catch Up With Cancer Campaign, told The Guardian. “Everybody knows somebody who has been touched by cancer. Sometimes, we fear it too much and think if we don’t talk about it, it won’t happen to us. We need to be much more open about it in our society.” 

Source Links:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/colon-cancer-blood-test-shield-screening-fda-approved-rcna163630
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
https://investors.guardanthealth.com/press-releases/press-releases/2024/Guardant-Healths-FDA-approved-Shield-Blood-Test-Now-Commercially-Available-in-U.S.-as-a-Primary-Screening-Option-for-Colorectal-Cancer/default.aspx#:~:text=Shield is a non-invasive,high risk for colorectal cancer.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/not-just-smoking-heres-causes-090126684.html
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/lung-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/40-cancers-found-preventable-lifestyle-141530530.html
https://pressroom.cancer.org/releases?item=1341
https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3322/caac.21858
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/jul/11/the-experts-oncologists-on-the-simple-doable-everyday-things-they-do-to-try-to-prevent-cancer?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1

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