Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Research has shown that many cancers are preventable, often caused by lifestyle choices, and many others are highly treatable when detected early. Understanding which cancers are most common and what increases cancer risk can help people take practical steps to protect their health.
The graphic below highlights an important realities which cancers occur more frequently. This allows us to target the most common cancers with screening to get the most returns on cancer screening, rather than focussing on low yield cancers.
The Most common cancers
The graphic to the left shows the most common cancers in the USA, below are the approximate figures for New Zealand.
Breast Cancer -3500
Prostate Cancer – 4000
Melanoma – 3000
Lung – 2500
Colorectal – 3000
These figures show a difference in the most common cancers when compared to the US, colorectal cancer rates in NZ are higher than lung cancer, and of course melanoma rates are higher.
Its worth looking at the number of deaths from each cancer each year. Although lung cancer is not as common as some of the others it is the most deadly cancer, followed closely by bowel cancer.
Screening for the most common cancers
In New Zealand, several of the most common cancers can be detected early through screening or proactive health checks. Early detection is important because cancers found at an earlier stage are often easier to treat and have significantly better outcomes. True Proactive is passionate about early detection and is one of our cornerstones of our business aims. Screening programmes are designed to identify disease before symptoms develop, allowing treatment to begin sooner and, in some cases, preventing cancer from developing altogether. Despite the effectiveness of some screening methods the public screening system could be more thorough and that is something that True Proactive is aiming to do, provide wider screening to all age ranges that would benefit.
Breast cancer, the most common cancer in New Zealand women, is routinely screened using mammography. The national breast screening programme invites women aged 45 to 69 for regular mammograms every two years, which can detect cancers long before they are felt as a lump. Despite the national screening programme starting at 45, evidence suggests it may be beneficial from the age of 40, or younger in those with family history.
Prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men, does not have a national screening programme, but testing with a PSA blood test and clinical assessment can help identify men who may benefit from further investigation. True Proactive offers PSA tests to men aged 50-59 currently.
Bowel cancer is one of the most important cancers to screen for because it often develops slowly from precancerous polyps in the colon. Screening tests such as the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) can detect small amounts of blood in stool that may indicate early disease. In New Zealand, the national bowel screening programme currently offers FIT testing every two years for people aged 58 to 74, although many international guidelines support starting earlier, True Proactive encourages FIT tests to be started at 45, and younger in people with risk factors or certain ethnicities.
For skin cancer, particularly melanoma, early detection relies on regular skin examinations. New Zealand has one of the highest melanoma rates in the world due to high ultraviolet exposure. Skin checks performed by trained clinicians can identify suspicious lesions at an early stage when treatment is usually simple and highly effective.
Finally, lung cancer, which causes the most cancer deaths in New Zealand, is increasingly being detected through low dose CT screening in high risk individuals such as long term smokers. International studies have shown that targeted CT screening can significantly reduce lung cancer mortality by identifying tumours at an earlier, more treatable stage. This is not available in New Zealand currently although True Proactive are planning on introducing this service soon.
What Increases Cancer Risk?
Research has identified several factors that significantly increase cancer risk in adults.
According to data from the American Association for Cancer Research, the most important modifiable risk factors include:
Smoking
Responsible for roughly one in five cancers.
Excess body weight
Associated with multiple cancers including bowel, breast, and kidney cancer.
Alcohol consumption
Linked to cancers of the liver, breast, bowel, and throat.
Ultraviolet radiation
The main cause of skin cancers including melanoma.
Poor diet
Infections
Physical inactivity
The important point is that many of these risks are modifiable. Small changes in lifestyle can significantly reduce cancer risk over time.
Prevention and Early Detection
There are two powerful tools in reducing cancer deaths.
Risk reduction Avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, and protecting skin from sun damage.
Early detection through screening, Screening allows doctors to identify cancers before symptoms develop, when treatment is most effective. For bowel cancer in particular, regular screening has been shown to reduce deaths significantly because it detects disease at a stage when it is far easier to treat.
Taking a Proactive Approach to Health
Many people only think about cancer when symptoms appear. Unfortunately, by that point disease can sometimes be advanced.
A proactive approach to health focuses on:
• understanding personal risk
• making lifestyle changes
• using screening tests at appropriate ages
At True Proactive, our goal is to make high quality screening simple and accessible so people can take control of their long term health.
Because the earlier a problem is detected, the better the outcome.
So don’t delay any more start screening today.
