The incidence of cancer is on the rise worldwide. In the United States, one out of four Americans will develop cancer. In Japan in the past 20 years, breast cancer incidence has increased by 50 percent. Cancer is growing in Saudi Arabia with more than 7,000 new cases being reported each year, according to a report in Khaleej Times. However, preventive measures and early detection can play an important role in reducing the impact of cancer in the Kingdom. There are no guarantees, but certain factors can increase or decrease the chances of developing cancer. Although the exact cause of cancer remains unknown, most cancers can be attributed to environmental factors such as diet, smoking, excessive sun exposure, radiation exposure and coming in contact with toxic industrial chemicals. To protect yourself and your family against cancer, you can also make some key changes in your lifestyle and personal habits. One of the obvious lifestyle factors that increases the risk of cancer is smoking. Dr. Muhammad Al-Shabana, vice head of the radiation oncology department in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh, reported that 70 percent of lung cancer patients in Saudi Arabia are smokers. He further stated that smokers have a 30 times higher rate of cancer than non-smokers. Smoking is also linked to higher rates of cancer of the mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidneys, and of the cervix in females. Diet also plays an important role in cancer promotion and prevention. Although it may not be a causal relationship, studies are revealing that certain foods can lower your chances of getting cancer. Professor Ezzeldin M. Ibrahim, senior oncology consultant at the International Medical Centre, said that a diet high in fiber may lower your risk of colon cancer, which is one of the most common male cancers in the Kingdom. Fiber is found mainly in fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, and whole grains. A Harvard study found that men who eat at least 10 servings of tomato-based foods per week are 45 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends increasing consumption of cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, and turnips. On the other hand, a diet high in animal and saturated fat increases the risk of cancer. Dr. Muhammad Al-Shabana of KFSHRC said that a diet high in animal fat during a girl's teenage years correlates with breast cancer later in life. Consumption of whole fat dairy products, red meat, calorific desserts and fried foods should also be reduced as a preventive measure. Dr. Al-Shabana also warned of another common male cancer in the Kingdom, which is liver cancer. He said that the high rate of liver cancer may be linked to the Hepatitis B virus which is quite widespread in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, immunizations for the Hepatitis B virus may be a good preventive measure against liver cancer. Other risk factors for liver cancer include alcohol consumption, steroid hormones, obesity, and occupational exposure from working with chemicals like rubber, pesticides, wood finish, and vinyl chloride. The number one cancer in females in Saudi Arabia is breast cancer. Dr. Al-Shabana explained that although the rate of breast cancer in women in the Kingdom is not as high as it is in the United States, it still is the most common female cancer. Risk factors for breast cancer include having no children, having the first pregnancy over the age of 30, and not nursing the baby once it is born. Studies show that mothers who breastfeed have a 20 percent lower risk of contracting breast cancer. Use of oral contraceptives slightly raises the risk of getting breast cancer, as does the use of estrogen supplement therapy for treating menopause for six years or more. Obesity, apart from its other harmful effects increases breast cancer risk. Lack of exercise may also be implicated in breast cancer. Dr. Ezzeldin M. Ibrahim said, “A recent study that I conducted showed that women who exercise for 14 hours per week were 60 percent to 70 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.” The next step in fighting breast cancer is early detection. Detecting breast cancer at an early stage increases the woman's chances of survival and of overcoming the disease. To illustrate, Dr. Al-Shabana explained that if breast cancer was discovered in its earliest stage when the tumor is still less than 2 cm large and confined to the breast only, there is a 90 percent chance of survival. In contrast, if the cancer was not diagnosed until the third stage in which the tumor size is more than 5 cm, the chances of survival drop to 50-60 percent. Therefore, doctors stress that women should conduct self-examinations every month. For women over the age of 40, the recommendation is to get a regular screening mammogram. Cancer cannot be explained away by chance or genetics only because cancer clusters do appear in certain areas and are directly related to lifestyle habits or environmental conditions specific to that region. Many examples abound, such as Japan having one of the highest rates of stomach cancer in the world, and that may be related to their consumption of smoked fish and heavily salted and pickled foods. The unusually high incidence of cancer of the esophagus in Zambians may be attributed to their drinking a strong homemade alcoholic brew. According to Dr. Al-Shabana, people in the southern parts of Saudi Arabia often chew the Shamma leaf that may contain toxic compounds. This is borne out in the higher incidence of oral cancer in these regions of Saudi Arabia. Identifying links between lifestyle factors and the development of certain cancers is not intended to make one become paranoid, but is an important step towards cancer prevention. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits, exercising, and eating natural and fresh foods may not make you completely immune to cancer but it will result in a healthier, more energetic and resilient body, and one that ages more gracefully. __
