Cancer Foundation Blog

The Cancer Prevention Project – Prevent Cancer Now

This year alone, according to the Canadian Cancer society 2010 statistics, it is estimated that there will be 173,800 new cases of cancer in Canada. This represents an increase of 1.6 % of new cases from 2009. Although there has been a steady rise in cancer rates since the early 1980s, their remains a common belief that, outside of smoking, cancer is a disease that just “happens” and is a result of living longer lives.

But is it?

According to the 2008 statistics published by the World Health Organization (WHO) cancer incidence vary significantly across the globe even amongst some of the wealthiest and most populous nations of the world. For instance, with the exception of lung cancer, which remains the most frequently occurring and the most uniformly distributed cancer in the world, the most common cancers occurring in Western industrialized nations are completely different from those affecting Asian countries.

Taking into consideration the variability in mortality rates, the differences in cancer incidences suggest that cancer may be more than a disease that simply occurs by chance and may have more to do with diet, industry and modern conveniences more so than simply living longer. More importantly, however, this also suggests that cancer may be a disease than can be prevented.

As a member of Prevent Cancer Now (http://preventcancernow.ca), a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated towards primary prevention of cancer through education, legislation and policy changes, and working in collaboration with the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation (http://www.ottawacancer.ca), we are developing a lecture series devoted towards educating young and old about the contributing factors to cancer and how it can be prevented.

This week, I will be providing you with some useful information and tips to reduce your risk, your families’ risk and your children risk, of getting cancer.

Stay tuned!