Five simple lifestyle changes could substantially decrease the incidence of colon cancer, reports a study published in the May issue of the European Journal of Cancer Prevention. Researchers studied how recommended lifestyle changes could affect predicted colon cancer rates of the British population over the next 24 years. The study estimates that 31.5% of colon cancers in British men and 18.4% of colon cancers in British women could be prevented if individuals made changes in diet, exercise, alcohol consumption and weight control.

The five recommended lifestyle changes are:

• Limit consumption of red meat and processed meat to no more than 3 ounces per day
• Eat at least five portions of fruits, vegetables and fiber per day
• Exercise 30 minutes per day, five or more days each week
• Consume less than three alcoholic beverages per day for men, two per day for women
• Control weight to help reduce the total U.K. population’s weight distribution to the rates of 20 years ago

Identified risk factors for colon cancer include:

• Being 50 or older
• Having a personal or family history of colon cancer or colon polyps
• Having ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease
• Smoking cigarettes
• Being overweight or obese

Like in the United States, colon cancer is extremely prevalent in the United Kingdom. It is the nation’s third most common newly-diagnosed cancer, and is second in terms of cancer deaths. Colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States, and is also the second cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.

Sharon Osbourne, British-borne judge of American Idol and wife of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, was diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2002. Following the surgical removal of the cancer, Osbourne underwent chemotherapy to reduce the likelihood of its recurrence. She has since recovered and returned to her TV career.

United States President Ronald Reagan also famously battled colon cancer. On July 13, 1985, the President had surgery to remove roughly two feet of his colon after a colonoscopy revealed a cancerous tumor. On January 17, 1986, President Reagan again went under the knife, this time to remove colon polyps. He died in June of 2005, at 93, of unrelated causes.

Colonoscopy is the best detector of colon cancer and also aids in prevention. All people 50 and older should have a colonoscopy once every five years. People with a family history of colon cancer should begin having colonoscopies at 45. Diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors also greatly impact colon cancer risk.

Join the Healia Colorectal Cancer Online Health Community and Support Group to share your experiences or to offer tips and advice.

Source:

The European Journal of Cancer Prevention. Volume 19, Issue 3. http://journals.lww.com/eurjcancerprev/Abstract/publishahead/The_potential_for_prevention_of_colorectal_cancer.99995.aspx

_{Photo: bodybuildingworkoutguide, Flickr, Creative Commons}

A new study reveals that a higher intake of calcium may reduce the overall risk of cancer for women and also reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and other digestive cancers for both men and women. The study appears in the February 23 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) analyzed data from nearly 500,000 people who participated in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study that began in 1995. Participants between the ages of 50 and 71 filled out a questionnaire reporting how often and in what quantities they consumed dairy products and a wide variety of other foods, and whether they took supplements. Their records were then linked with state cancer registries to identify new cases of cancer.

After an average of seven years of follow up, nearly 50,000 cases of cancer had occurred. Calcium intake was associated with a decrease in the overall risk for all cancers in women and the more calcium women got, the more the risk decreased. Beyond 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day, no further reduction occurred.

While men did not display the same overall reduction in cancer risk, calcium intake was associated with reduced risk of cancers of the digestive system for both men and women. The top 20 percent of men who consumed the most calcium through food and supplements (about 1,530 milligrams per day on average) had a 16 percent lower risk of digestive cancers than the bottom 20 percent who consumed the least calcium (526 milligrams per day).

For women, those in the top 20 percent of calcium consumption (1,881 milligrams per day) had a 23 percent lower risk of these cancers than those in the bottom 20 percent (494 milligrams per day). This risk reduction was particularly pronounced for colorectal cancer. The study found no relationship between calcium and prostate cancer, breast cancer or other cancers.

The researchers believe that calcium may help prevent digestive system cancers by reducing abnormal growth in cells in the gastrointestinal tract or by reducing damage to the mucous membrane in the large intestine.

Calcium has long been known to be associated with bone health and calcium intake is critical in preventing osteoporosis. However, previous research into the role of calcium in cancer prevention has produced mixed results. The present study is one of the largest ever undertaken, but it relied on interviews instead of blood tests and can therefore only estimate the amount of calcium each participant had consumed.

Does this mean you should run out and buy calcium supplements? Perhaps, but the researchers found that the benefits of calcium were mostly associated with calcium-rich foods rather than supplements, although calcium from supplements alone was still effective in reducing colon cancer risk in men. Foods with lots of calcium include dairy products such as milk and yogurt and leafy green vegetables. The recommended daily calcium intake for older people is 1,200 milligrams, while for younger adults it is 1,000mg. Adolescents should get 1,300 milligrams per day of calcium.

For more information about nutrition or dietary supplements, join the Healia Health Community for Diet and Nutrition or the Healia Health Community for Dietary Supplements. Find out more about colorectal cacner at the Healia Health Community for Colorectal Cancer.

_{Photo (adapted): erix!, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Colonoscopy, a screening procedure that saves lives by detecting colon cancer, may not be as effective as previously thought. A new study demonstrates that while colonoscopy is very effective at locating cancer in the left portion of the colon, it has more trouble finding cancer on the right side of the colon.

The study, published today on the website of the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed that screening for colorectal cancer by colonoscopy seems to prevent about two-thirds of deaths from colon cancer, rather than 90 percent as has been widely claimed. The vast majority of deaths were prevented by detecting cancers located on the left or descending side of the colon. Colonoscopy seemed to have almost no benefit in preventing deaths from cancers located on the right side or ascending portion of the colon.

A colonoscopy uses a flexible camera to look inside the colon for signs of colon cancer. The researchers propose several possible reasons why cancers of the right side of the colon are not detected. One possibility is that some colonoscopies may not actually examine the full length of the colon. The right or ascending portion of the colon is the furthest portion, and precancerous growths such as polyps in this area may be missed if the colonoscopy is incomplete.

Another possible reason for the difference is that the biology of polyps and other precancerous changes may be different in the left and right colon. Researchers already know that right-sided growths are likely to be flat, which makes them harder to see.

Despite the findings that colonoscopies are less than perfect, the study does provide evidence that the procedure is a lifesaver for many people. Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women and will claim the lives of an estimated 50,000 Americans this year. Even so, fewer than 10 percent of the subjects in the study had ever had a colonoscopy.

What is your risk for colon cancer? Find out by talking to your doctor. He or she may recommend a colonoscopy every 10 years or more frequently depending on your risk factors. There are also other tests that can help detect colon cancer including annual fecal occult blood testing, which examines the stool for blood, flexible sigmoidoscopy, which examines the portion of the colon adjacent to the rectum, double-contrast barium enemas, and virtual colonoscopies using CT scanners.

For more information about colorectal cancer, join the Healia Health Community for Colorectal Cancer.

 

_{Photo: Sunconsci Productions, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The rate of new cancer cases in the U.S. appears to be dropping for the first time, according to a report released this week in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In addition, cancer death rates continue to fall steadily as they have for several years thanks to improvements in both cancer detection and treatment.

The annual "Report to the Nation" on cancer shows that the rate of new cancer diagnoses among men dropped 1.8 percent a year between 2001 and 2005, while the rate for women dropped just over half a percent a year. The drop was seen across all racial groups examined. Also, the cancer death rate among men and women continued to drop, by an average of 1.8 percent a year through 2005. However, cancer remains the second leading cause of death for Americans with only heart disease claiming more lives.

Much of the gains were made in the rates of some leading cancers including breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. The declines are largely due to increases in cancer screening, and for breast cancer, to a decrease in the use of hormone replacement therapy. Lung cancer rates also decreased but only for men, likely because smoking rates fell for men before they did for women, which allowed men to reap the benefits sooner. In contrast, the rates of lung cancer in women, kidney cancer, melanoma, and several others cancer types continue to rise.

While the declines in cancer rates were small, most between one and four percent, the fact that death rates continue to fall as well suggests that the improvements are real, rather than caused by, for example, people skipping screening appointments, allowing existing cancers to go undetected.

Experts question whether the gains can be maintained in the face of the economic downturn. Declining budgets for cancer research and decreased adherence to cancer screening and surveillance programs threaten to reverse the trend, just as the milestone of a decline in overall cancer rate is finally being attained.

If you are concerned about your cancer risk, talk to your doctor about what you can be doing to decrease your risk. Read the American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of cancer at the American Cancer Society’s Website. To get personalized answers to your questions about cancer, ask the experts on Healia Health Communities or join the Healia Health Community for Cancers.

 

_{Photo: DefMo, Flickr, Creative Commons}