Cancer Education

Prevention and Wellness

At Carle Cancer Center we encourage people to live a healthy lifestyle. Several factors can contribute to a healthy lifestyle including good nutrition, regular exercise, stress reduction, and age appropriate cancer screenings. In addition, it is important to discuss with your doctor any family history of cancer, and to avoid behaviors that increase our chances of developing cancer such as tobacco use and overexposure to the sun. We know that the key to successful management of cancer is through prevention and early detection.

To help you stay healthy…

Practice Good Nutrition

According to the American Cancer Society, the dietary recommendations to help prevent Cancer are as follows:

• Only 30% of your daily calories should come from fats
• Eat five or more fruits and/or vegetables a day
• Increase intake of whole grains and breads
• Limit intake of red meat and increase intake of fish and chicken
• Be sure to eat a variety of foods in your diet

Don’t Use Tobacco

In order live a more healthy lifestyle, people are encouraged to not use cigarettes or smokeless tobacco. According to the American Cancer Society, cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are poisonous and about 40 of which have been identified as causing cancer. If you smoke, your chances of getting lung cancer are 10 times greater than a non-smoker according to the American Cancer Society.

If you smoke or use other tobacco products and you would like to quit, Carle can help. Call Carle’s Tobacco Cessation Coordinator at 326-2719 for information on nicotine recovery support groups, how prescription and over-the-counter medications can help, and more.

Avoid Over-Exposure to the Sun

According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer and is most commonly caused by exposure to the sun.

Recommendations for protecting your skin…

• Avoid the sun from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 15 and remember to reapply every 2 hours.
• Even in the winter time, the sun can burn you as snow reflects sunlight
• Even if you have a tan already you can burn, and if you sunburn easily, freckle, or have light hair and eyes, you should be especially careful.
• Children under 6 months old should be in shady places when outside and should use bonnets or umbrellas. Children over 6 months old should be wearing sunscreen when outside.
• Check your skin monthly and pay special attention to any moles, spots or birthmarks. Only your doctor can tell if a spot is cancer or potentially cancerous, so be sure to discuss any changes in your skin with your doctor.

Perform Regular Self-Exams and Cancer Screenings

The following screening efforts are the standard recommendation. It is important to talk with your doctor about your own family and health history to determine if you need more frequent or different screening measures.

Women:

• If you are age 18 or over, or you are sexually active, you should have a pelvic exam and pap test each year. During a pelvic exam, your doctor checks the uterus, vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, and rectum for abnormalities. A pap test is used to check the cervix for abnormalities.

• All women, age 20 or over, should perform monthly self-breast exams to monitor for lumps or changes in the breast. If you have questions about how to perform a breast self-exam ask your doctor or nurse, or call the American Cancer Society.

• All women, age 40 or over, should have a mammogram each year. A mammogram is a type of X-ray of the breast to check for abnormalities.

Men:

• All men in their teens or over, should perform monthly testicular self-exams after a warm bath or shower to monitor for lumps. If you have questions about how to perform a testicular self-exam ask your doctor or nurse, or call the American Cancer Society.

• All men over 50 should discuss with their doctor the need to begin regular PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood testing and digital rectal exams to check for abnormalities in the prostate gland..

Be Aware of Cancer Warning Signals

The American Cancer Society’s Seven Cancer Warning Signals

• Changes in bowel or bladder habits
• A sore that does not heal
• Unusual bleeding or discharge
• Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere
• Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
• Obvious change in a wart or mole
• Nagging cough or hoarseness

If you are experiencing one or more of the above warning signals, it is important to discuss this with your physician. Because the above signals can be caused by a variety of things, the presence of one of the above signals does not automatically mean you have cancer.