What is prevention?
Cancer prevention is steps you take to reduce your chance of getting cancer. In 2021, about 1.9 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States. In addition to the physical problems and emotional distress that cancer causes, the high costs of care also burden patients, their families, and the public. With prevention, the number of new cancer cases is reduced. This is expected to reduce the burden of cancer and decrease the number of deaths from this disease.
Cancer is not a single disease, but a group of related diseases. Many things in our genes, our lifestyle, and the environment around us increase or decrease our risk of developing cancer.
Scientists study many different ways to help prevent cancer, including the following:
- Ways to avoid or control things that are known to cause cancer.
- Changes in diet and lifestyle.
- Early identification of precancerous conditions. Sometimes these conditions turn into cancer.
- Chemoprevention (medicines to treat a precancerous condition or prevent cancer from developing).
- Surgery to lower the risks.
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