Daily cancer prevention is the theme of 'Prevention Wednesdays'.
The National Health Fund reminds us that even 90% cancers depend on external factors that are within our control. These include, for example, tobacco smoke, alcohol, lack of regular physical activity or poor nutrition.
12 ways to be healthy
The European Code Against Cancer consists of 12 recommendations for cancer prevention. The Code was initiated by the European Commission. It shows how, through simple, everyday actions, the risk of developing cancer can be reduced. The National Health Fund points out that the recommendations are based on scientific evidence, Evidence-based medicine.
The World Health Organisation WHO estimates that following the principles of the Cancer Code - or 12 ways to be healthy - would avoid 50% cancer deaths.
Screening in cancer prevention
"Prevention programmes make it possible to detect certain types of cancer even before signs of the disease appear, and even to detect pre-cancerous lesions. Take part in screening, which includes free screening:
- Mammography - prevention of breast cancer, a test recommended for women aged 45 to 74 years, performed every 2 years,
- Cytology - prevention of cervical cancer, a test recommended for women aged 25 to 64, performed every 3 years,
- Colonoscopy - prevention of colorectal cancer, a test recommended for women and men, depending on the testing regime used, even from the age of 40." - emphasises the NHF.
European Code Against Cancer
The 12 recommendations worth taking to reduce the risk of cancer are presented in a National Health Fund material by Dr Paweł Koczkodaj, deputy head of the Department of Epidemiology and Primary Prevention of Cancer at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Institute of Oncology in Warsaw.