Three Things a Cancer Doctor Would Avoid

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CLEVELAND - February is National Cancer Prevention Awareness Month, and you might be wondering if there are steps you can take to lower your cancer risk.

According to a Cleveland Clinic oncologist, there are – and he recommends trying to avoid three things.

“Cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and excess body weight – if you can avoid these three things in your lifetime, you can dramatically decrease the risk you’ll ever develop cancer,” explained Suneel Kamath, MD.

Dr. Kamath said research shows almost half of all cancer deaths globally can be linked to preventable factors -- with smoking, alcohol use and obesity being the leading contributors.

While smoking carries the biggest risk, alcohol use and excess body weight can also increase the chances of developing many types of cancer.

When it comes to alcohol, Dr. Kamath said it’s best to avoid it altogether but cutting back on how much you drink can help as well.

And taking small steps toward maintaining a healthy weight can make a big impact down the road.

Dr. Kamath added it’s important to know your family health history and to bring it up to your doctor.

“When we talk about the screening guidelines making the news all the time, that's always this middle bucket of average-risk people. And, of course, all of us assume that we're average risk,” Dr. Kamath said. “However, in reality, if you have a family history of cancer, you're in a high-risk category, and those same guidelines have a different set of things you should do if you're high risk.”

Other ways to potentially lower your risk include eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and wearing sunscreen.

Dr. Kamath said that while it's impossible to completely prevent cancer, managing the factors you can control and discussing concerns with your doctor early can make a difference.