CANCER IN MEN AND WOMEN AND HOW TO PREVENT IT

Cancer — The Most Common Types Found in Women

Men and women are different on so many levels. That includes the types of cancer in men and women. There are certain cancers only men get and there are certain cancers only women get. There are certain cancers which plague women more than men and vice versa. It’s important to know which cancers you should be concerned about.

Cancers Only Women Get

This is probably pretty obvious. The cancers that only women get are gynaecological cancers — which of course are cancers which start in places like the cervix, uterus, vagina, vulva, ovaries, and sometimes the fallopian tubes (very rare). It goes without saying that these cancers are only found in women because women are the only ones with these parts.

And while you might think only women get breast cancer, this is not the case. Men have breast tissue as well and can develop breast cancer. So the only cancers women get that men can’t get are gynaecological cancers of the reproductive organs.

Cancers That Are Most Prevalent in Women

There are some cancers which strike women very fiercely. The most common types of cancers that really affect women are breast cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, skin cancer, and ovarian cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer women get aside from skin cancer, but it’s followed closely by lung cancer and then colorectal cancer.

However, breast cancer has a better survival rate amongst women than lung cancer does. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women who are white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Indian/Alaska Native women.

Lung cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women. The number one most fatal cancer for Hispanic women is breast cancer. And the third leading cause of cancer deaths among all women, no matter what nationality, is colorectal cancer.

Surely the great screening and early detection techniques we have to screen for breast cancer is why the survival rate is higher. Caucasian women have the best survival chance when it comes to breast cancer. African-American women and Hispanic women are at a greater risk of succumbing to breast cancer than Caucasian women.

Low income families are more at risk from breast cancer. This likely has to do with the limited access they might have to screenings like mammograms. This is why it’s so important to support breast cancer non-profits. With the survival rate increasing exponentially with early detection, providing necessary early screenings to low income family is of the utmost importance.

Across the board (male or female), lung cancer remains the top killing cancer amongst patients. Oddly enough it’s the easiest to prevent getting. It is estimated that 87%-90% of all lung cancer deaths are related to smoking. It seems simply enough — if you stop smoking, you decrease your chances of dying from lung cancer.

Because lung cancer doesn’t have a reliable early detection test like breast cancer does, it’s hard to diagnose early. This is why more people die of lung cancer; once you begin showing signs you are already so far into the progression of the disease that saving you from lung cancer is much more difficult.

Finally colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women. This appears to be on the decline, though. With better testing, polyps are being found and diagnosed early, leading to earlier treatment. Plus the treatment for colorectal cancer has improved, so the survival rate from this type of cancer is on the rise.

These are the kind of cancers that plague women the most and what you have to watch out for. Remember, early detection is vital in increasing your survival rate. So don’t blow off that mammogram or colonoscopy. A few minutes of discomfort just might save your life.

Most Common Types of Cancer Found in Men

Cancer affects men and women, but there are some cancers which affect men more than women. Also, many times these cancers are more deadly in men than they are in women. Men can lower their risk of getting these varying types of cancer by avoiding smoking and receiving screening tests at an earlier age.

Here are ten cancers which commonly affect men.

1. Prostate cancer — This is the most common cancer diagnosed in men. Prostate cancer is found more commonly in African-American men than any other racial or ethnic group. It is unknown why it affects African-American men more. It is recommended that you talk to your doctor about screening options for prostate cancer, though, generally at around the age of 50.
2. Lung cancer — This is the number one cancer that kills men. Again, more African-American men are affected by lung cancer than any other racial or ethnic group. A large majority of instances of lung cancer arise from smoking. The best way to prevent lung cancer is to never start smoking at all, but to quit immediately if you do smoke.

1. Colorectal cancer — This is the third most common cancer found in men. It affects all ethnic groups and men and women about the same. It is found most often in people age fifty and older. Screening for colorectal cancer is of utmost importance in finding and treating this cancer and saving men and women.
2. Bladder cancer — This is much more common in men than in women, three times more likely in fact. Caucasian men have a higher chance of getting bladder cancer than any other ethnic or racial group. It generally affects men over the age of sixty. The older you are, the greater your chances of getting bladder cancer.
3. Skin cancer — This is more prevalent in men past the age of forty in the United States. However, before the age of forty it’s found more in women.
4. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma — This is a cancer which attacks the lymph nodes. It is more common in men than in women, especially white men. It mostly affects adults with a compromised immune system like from HIV. There are forms which can affect children as well. Certain types of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can be found in women more than men for an unknown reason.
5. Kidney cancer — Men are twice as likely as women to get kidney cancer. However, it is still amongst the top ten cancers women get as well. This is a cancer that generally is not seen by men or women until later in life, after age 64 and usually not before age 45.
6. Throat or mouth cancer — Cancers of the mouth are twice as common in men as they are in women. This can be caused from smoking and even from oral sex.
7. Leukemia — This is only slightly more prevalent in men than it is in women. It also affects Caucasians more than any other race. It’s a cancer of the blood which affects older people more often than it does younger people.
8. Pancreatic cancer — Another cancer that affects only slightly more men more than it does women. This cancer has been slowly increasing over the last ten years or so. It’s also more common in African-Americans than Caucasians.

So if you’re a man, these are the cancers you have to most worry about. Many of them can be prevented with simply lifestyle changes like not smoking and eating a healthy diet. Screenings go a long way to saving your life when diagnosed with any of these cancers.

How to Help Prevent Cancer

In many cases cancer is something that develops because of certain lifestyle choices. Of course smoking or sunning yourself can lead to cancer. So can exposure to certain toxins and just in general an unhealthy lifestyle. However, there are steps you can take to help prevent cancer. This doesn’t mean you won’t ever get some form of cancer; sometimes you’re just predisposed to cancer. But, it means that you are doing all you can to stay healthy.

How You Can Prevent Cancer from Happening to You

If you do have a family history of cancer, then you probably don’t want to do things which raise your chances even higher of getting cancer. Here’s what you can do to hopefully prevent it.

• Reduce your sugar intake. It has been proven that cancer develops in an environment that is rich in glucose. Less oxygen and more sugar raises your risk of getting cancer.
• Maintain a proper pH (potential Hydrogen) in your body. A nice high pH level is more oxygen rich and an environment which cancers do not do well in. So keep your pH above 7.0. To do this, drink a lot of water, eliminate soda, and reduce the amount of meat you eat, minimize your consumption of sweets, and eat a lot of raw vegetables.
• Exercise regularly. It doesn’t really matter what kind of exercise — just keep moving.
• Get enough sleep. Your body needs that time or rest to rejuvenate cells, so make sure you’re getting the right amount of sleep.
• Vitamin and mineral supplements will help maintain healthy body chemistry.

• Don’t use tobacco products. This goes for smoking or chewing. Tobacco products are linked to many different types of Cancer including lung, bladder, cervix, kidney, oral cavity, and pancreas. Avoid tobacco products at all costs and you’ll decrease your risks of developing cancer greatly.
• Protect yourself in the sun. Use a sunscreen with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 15. Reapply frequently. Cover yourself with clothing. Wear dark colours. Wear a hat. Avoid midday sun. Stay in the shade. Avoid tanning beds and lights.
• Stay up to date on your immunizations. Protecting yourself from certain types of viruses will limit your chances of getting some cancers. Hepatitis B and HPV (Human Papillomavirus) are two vaccines you should be sure you have.
• Avoid risky behaviour which can lead to infections. This means practice safe sex and don’t share needles. HIV or AIDS increases a person’s chance of getting cancer of the anus, liver, or lungs. HPV like mentioned above is associated with cervical cancer. This is a sexually transmitted disease. Sharing needles increases your chances of Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C. So this is all stuff you want to avoid.
• Stay on top of your medical care. Seeing your doctor regularly and screening for cancers will help you diagnose a problem early, possibly preventing it from turning into cancer.

These ten things are just some ways you can take cancer into your own hands and reduce your risk of getting it. Nothing is guaranteed in life, but you will feel much better if you follow these tips.