Take proactive measures to prevent cancer

Cancer is becoming a burden on global health. The number of new cases is constantly increasing, largely due to risk factors in daily life. Early identification of cancer-causing factors and proactive implementation of preventive measures are important keys to reducing the risk of disease and protecting people's health.

According to Kien Giang Oncology Hospital, each year there are over 12,000 patients coming for cancer examination and treatment, of which 60% are detected at a late stage. This makes the possibility of successful treatment low, reduces the patient's chance of survival and increases the economic burden on the family. Common cancers are lung, liver, colon - rectum, breast, stomach, and ovarian cancers.

Doctor Ho Van Ut Muoi - Head of Cancer Surgery Department, Kien Giang Oncology Hospital examines a patient's health. Photo: MI NI

With many relatives suffering from cancer, Ms. NTL's family, residing in Son Kien commune, is financially bankrupt due to the high cost of treatment. More than 2 years ago, Ms. L's mother passed away from liver cancer. Currently, her father has lung cancer and is being treated at Kien Giang Oncology Hospital, and her sister has breast cancer that was detected early and has undergone surgery. "The cost of cancer treatment is very high, so the family faces many difficulties. In addition to the economic burden, the disease also affects the quality of life, psychology, loss, and pain when witnessing relatives suffer a lot of pain caused by the disease," Ms. L shared.

Dr. Ho Van Ut Muoi - Head of the Department of Cancer Surgery, Kien Giang Oncology Hospital said: "Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the abnormal growth of uncontrolled cell division, capable of invading neighboring tissues and metastasizing to other organs, destroying normal tissues of the body. To prevent cancer, it is necessary to understand the factors that cause cancer in order to have effective preventive measures."

According to Dr. Ho Van Ut Muoi, there are two main factors that cause cancer: Internal factors and external factors. Internal factors such as genetic factors due to gene mutations increase the risk of cancer and can be inherited such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, familial polyposis... Endocrine factors due to endocrine disorders can cause breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer... For external factors, there are many factors such as physical factors due to ultraviolet rays from sunlight causing skin cancer; X-rays, gamma rays, nuclear radiation causing the risk of leukemia, thyroid cancer. Chemical factors due to smoking, drinking alcohol, beer, asbestos toxins, mold... cause cancer of the breast, liver, lungs, esophagus, nasopharynx, bladder, blood... Biological factors due to hepatitis B/C virus, HPV virus, HIV, EBV causing cancer of the nasopharynx, liver, cervix; HP bacteria causing stomach cancer; Schistosoma parasite causes bladder cancer... In addition, carcinogenic factors include a diet high in red meat, burnt fried foods, processed foods; a sedentary lifestyle with alcohol abuse and lack of exercise...

Doctor Ho Van Ut Muoi recommends people to take measures to prevent cancer, first of all, not smoking, avoiding passive smoking can significantly reduce the risk of many types of cancer related to the respiratory tract such as cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder... At the same time, limit alcohol and beer. The Department of Preventive Medicine recommends not drinking more than 2 units of alcohol/day for men and 1 unit of alcohol/day for women and no more than 5 days/week. 1 unit of alcohol is equivalent to 3/4 of a 330ml bottle or can of beer (with 5% alcohol concentration), 1 glass of 100ml wine (13.5% alcohol concentration) or 1 glass of 30ml spirits (40% alcohol concentration). Regularly monitor and evaluate body weight through body mass index; increase physical activity, exercise at an appropriate level, at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Simple exercises like walking, cycling, yoga... help keep the body healthy, the mind comfortable and reduce the risk of disease.

Following nutritional guidelines can partially prevent the risk of cancer, such as eating lots of vegetables, tubers, fruits, prioritizing fresh, new foods, whole grains, drinking enough water every day, from 1.5 - 2 liters; limiting red meat, processed foods; limiting refined foods; not using moldy foods such as moldy rice, moldy beans... For people aged 40 and over, people who smoke a lot, people who inhale secondhand smoke, people with relatives with cancer should have a general health check-up 1 - 2 times/year to screen for cancer and other diseases.

MINI

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/chu-dong-cac-bien-phap-phong-ngua-benh-ung-thu-a467579.html