Take the spanner out of the works – Cancer Prevention
In Ireland 1 in 3 men will develop cancer in their lifetime – a spanner in the works!
What is cancer?
Cancer starts in the body’s cells, which are the building blocks that make up our bodies organs and tissues. Sometimes cells in a specific part of the body can go wrong, like the car GPS telling you to turn right but there is no right. When the cells go wrong they become abnormal, growing uncontrollably and making more abnormal cells. Like if you turned the car right when the GPS told you, you are making an unusual road. Cancer is the term used to describe this abnormal over-growth of cells which form a tumor. Take the spanner out of the works – Cancer Prevention
Take the spanner out of the works – Cancer Prevention
What do you think can stop the spanner getting into the engine? If you knew you can reduce the risk of the spanner getting into the works…….if you knew that over one third of cancers can be prevented…….what would you do?
Cancer Risk Reduction
The European Code for Cancer Prevention outlines 12 ways for everybody to reduce their cancer risk. Lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of cancer for men, brothers, dads, sons, uncles, cousins, friends. In Ireland skin, prostate, colorectal and lung cancer are the most common types of cancer in men. Food, physical activity, smoking, weight, alcohol, sun protection affect the risk of developing these cancer and attending bowel screening can spot cancer early.
Health is complex. Every day we are bombarded with new information about what we should and should not be doing and this can be quite confusing. What will follow over the coming weeks will be a series of articles about how to reduce the risk of a spanner in the works and how to spot a spanner in the works early. The purpose is not to tell you what to do but to highlight things that you can do (or not do) that can reduce the risk of cancer and how to spot it early.
Articles from the Irish Cancer Society, Breakthrough Cancer Research and the Marie Keating Foundation will cover;
- Common Cancer Myths Among Men
- What do men want to know about cancer prevention? Findings from the Mechanic study
- Body Weight; Why 10% Can Make a Difference!
- The Sobering Truth; Alcohol and Cancer
- Small Lifestyle Changes can last a Lifetime
- Manual for Men – reducing your risk of cancer one step at a time
- Early detection; Skin Cancer
- Early detection; Bowel Screening
- National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) Prostate Cancer Programme
There are over 30,000 new cancers cases in Ireland each year……one third of cases can be prevented…… brothers, dads, sons, uncles, cousins, friends ….what would you do?