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Alberta Health Services has released results of a new study showing almost half of cancer cases in the province are preventable.
As we mark World Cancer Day, AHS says we could avoid about 6700 new cancer cases every year in our province just by working on preventable factors.
Lead researcher Dr. Christine Friedenreich says it provides clear cut data to move forward with prevention.
“This Alberta project was a catalyst for all of us to develop a larger and national project that we’re now conducting with a team of investigators from across Canada, and in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society,” she explains.
Breast cancer can be reduced by 50 per cent, kidney cancer is 34 per cent. Stomach cancer – could be reduced by 56 per cent with a special focus on lifestyle.
Dr. Friedenreich says researchers looked at environmental factors as well.
“Things like air pollution, radon, UV exposure. We didn’t really find very large differences across the provinces,” she says.
The research also says for those already battling the disease quitting smoking, limiting alcohol and being more physically active can improve treatment and reduce risk of cancer coming back.
Agencies/Canadajournal
