To ask how else I can reduce risk of cancer ?

[iloveshetlandponies]

I just recently had a minor cancer scare and - thank god - after a long wait I've just found out that I'm okay. But I am absolutely terrified of it . I know one in two get it in their life time and that stat is beyond fucking depressing . I realise some cancers are sheer bad luck and nothing you can do. But I know some is lifestyle related etc

so want to try my absolute hardest to minimise my personal risk

This is what I do already

Intermittent fasting (16:8 but I try and aim for 18:6)

Eat at least 5 different fruit and veg a day (I need to eat way more I know)

I run most days for at least half an hour plus do other exercise

I don't smoke ever (Altho I did used to gave up 15 years ago at 29)

I very rarely drink alcohol

Always have smears when due and check my breasts monthly or so and keep an eye on any moles

Keep slim (8 stone 7 and 5 foot 2)

Always wear spf50 (on my face every single day) and any exposed bits of my body between say May and September

And - Don't laugh - but very cold showers at the end of each shower as it's meant to boost immunity (it defo wakes me up at least!)

I also, luckily, have no family history that I'm aware of

Does anyone else do this ? Or am I weird. And if there's any drs / nutritionists / scientists on here can anyone suggest anything else ?

TheFormidableMrsC it’s really no fun being female at times is it? I’ve had years and years of horrible gynae issues and just put up with awful periods as I didn’t want to take any synthetic hormones, perimenopause has been just awful and has exacerbated all of my issues (and some!) and now at 51 I’ve just been diagnosed with endometriosis and they want me to take Desogestrel in the form of the mini pill Cerazette. As soon as I opened the leaflet there in bold writing was the warning of the risk of bc. It’s put me off tbh and I haven’t taken it yet. The gynaecologist said to me, yes it raises your bc risk but lowers your ovarian and uterine cancer risk. So we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t aren’t we?

Same with hrt, I worry about the bc risk but my mum has Alzheimer’s, heart disease and is bent over with osteoporosis. HRT is supposed to help protect against all of those diseases but what about the bc risk there?

I also worry about my dd15, she has terribly heavy periods and the gp wants her on the mini pill!

It's worth remembering that higher risk doesn't mean high risk. So if your current risk without the meds is 1 in 20,000 and your higher risk with meds is 1 in 15,000, that's still a very low risk.

(No idea of the actual stats so just made up numbers. I was thinking of the panic about the pill in my distant youth, the numbers were something like my example but lots of women freaked out at the phrase 'higher risk ' without looking at what the actual risk was, which was very low).

It's so difficult. I avoided hormone contraception for years . I always had a nagging worry about BC. No history in my family, I exercise a LOT, I try and eat healthily for most of the time. I do drink wine but no connection according to onc. I was desperate when I agreed to the medication. I had been almost housebound for 3 weeks, I felt ill with blood loss. My son was 8 at the time, he is autistic. I'm a lone parent, I had to function. I questioned a double dose of the Desogestrel. Was told it was safe. It absolutely was not safe. Especially with Norethestrone on top. I asked about hysterectomy and was told it wasn't an option. I'm really fucking angry about it. Yet nobody will discuss it with me, even faced with actual research. So clinical governance it is. I don't want to sue anybody. I just want to know! They keep telling me that my tumour was there for 7 or 8 years given size. However, they cannot explain why it was not there when I was on the trial. It was under my nipple. It's because it wasn't there 🤷🏻‍♀️. Nor can they explain why it didn't show up on previous mammos or ultrasounds in those preceding years (I had a number of fibroids). Anyway, it's happened and I have to get on with it. Like you, I worry about Alzheimer's and bone health. My Dad has Alzheimer's. My mum had osteoporosis. So I weight lift, walk 40 miles a week and take Vit D and an aspirin daily. Nothing else to be done!

I don't know what the answer is for you. It's the not knowing your "risk" isn't it? Personally I'd avoid and seek surgical intervention but I guess I would say that. Many many people take the drugs for years and years without ill effect. Listen to your gut.

This is so true. However, it's a risk in that none of us know our risk!

My DM died from BC . She was on hrt in the 80s for 10 years. Her cancer was hormone fed. I’m not adding to my already increased risk. Luckily I had no menopause symptoms after the flushes passed( 6 months).

I am one of 6 female siblings ranging in age from 64-56. We have all recently been diagnosed with Lynch syndrome which is a genetic mutation which increases cancer risk.

My mum is also one of 6 girls, and my grandparents were from families with more females than males, as were great grandparents. No-one, male or female, in our family has ever been diagnosed with or treated for any type of cancer. Despite this my sisters have all had full hysterectomies, have annual smears, annual colonoscopy, annual mammograms, and are at great pains to 'prevent' it.

My own view is that given our family history, and that we reached our 60s before we even knew about the genetic defect, and that 1 in 2 people will get cancer anyway, I don't have anything more to worry about than I did before we knew.

You can't live life based on 'what ifs' because that's no life at all.

My DH, vegetarian, slim, fit, healthy, walks upwards of 30miles a week, doesn't smoke, rarely drinks, has never, in the 40+ years we have been together, snacked between meals, eaten 'junk food' etc, had a heart attack at Christmas completely unexpected and out of the blue.

I'm firmly of the belief that we have no idea who is going to get what and/or when. DH probably increased his chances of survival from a heart attack by being super healthy but being super healthy didn't prevent him from having a heart attack.

Live your life and try to stop thinking about the 'what ifs' because by focussing on them you will be missing out on the joy of living

There was an interesting zoe podcast on this and the research by Ellen Langer seemed quite compelling
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4qdhqUlHWGtf8kr9f1gLzA?si=GyaNrXbCSm-91wmWF0W8IA

Don't eat animal products. Vegetarians have substantially less of several cancers than meat eaters, and vegans have even less.

Take vitamin D, low levels are associated with cancer. Anything that boosts your immunity helps your body to get rid of dysfunctional cells before they take hold.

That's a stupid thing to say. Everyone has a story of a 90 year old chain smoker or an unfortunate health nut.

That doesn't mean that smoking is fine, or that there's no point in trying to be healthy. It's about probabilities.

And the probability of eating raw vegetables, avoiding microwaves or taking supplements having any impact on the likelihood of you getting cancer is minute to zero. It really is.

No one is advocating taking up chain-smoking. Eat sensibly, exercise sensibly, enjoy life, have cancer screening when it's offered.

I read the interview with her regarding cancer and I would say that after my cancer treatment 10 years ago none of the medical staff used the word remission, they tend to say 'NED' no evidence detected. They cannot say cured because no one can predict whether cancer will come back. So if it did come back and they'd used the word cured instead of NED, imagine how many people would be sueing the hospitals.

She also said that if she had a serious illness she would seek medical advice.

I never use these oils now, only good quality olive oil. Unfortunately if you eat out the chances are they’re using those oils.

I’ve had cancer, I was slim, active, healthy etc but still got it in my thirties (sixties now). I’ve got a mutation so it’ll probably get me in the end. 🙁

I have tried to go vegan twice for this very reason

But really struggled cos cheese

Place masking

An article on bicarbonate of soda,
Im off to make some soda bread now

At the risk of repeating myself, if asparagus, vitamin D, positive thinking, turmeric, avoiding microwaves or drinking black tea prevented or cured cancer, the NHS would prescribe it and save a fortune.

I have known professional athletes get cancer, I've known vegans get cancer, I've known cancer professionals and their family members get cancer. Eat well, exercise sensibly, enjoy life, go to cancer screening when offered.

I think you're misunderstanding. No one says that kind of thing is a certainty for "curing" or "avoiding" cancers. It's all about trying to put your body in the "best place" to fight cancer cells and to cope with the chemotherapy etc if you get it. The healthier your body, it reduces the risks of getting "some" cancers and increases the chances of treatments working most effectively or increases your ability to cope with and/or effectiveness of the chemotherapy, operations or whatever treatments are required

IME the kind of people who believe in that shit are the kind of people who refuse chemo and radiotherapy because they think it is poison.

Having watched one grandmother aged 86 die of pancreatic cancer and 6 months later my other grandmother die from dementia aged 92. Screw the extra 6 years I will take the cancer. My partner works in neurodegenerative diseases and works with a family that die within 2 years of initial symptoms with a form of dementia, all early onset. I wish so much that my body will go before my mind

My uncle had leukaemia twice in his 30s no risks factors. My friend had non Hodgkin lymphoma aged 25 no risk factors. A student in my research group died from bone cancer aged 23 no risk factors.

My partner has increased risks of aggressive prostate cancer due to multiple male relatives over 2 generations having it on his dad side. There's one thing he can do to help and that's regular PSA tests once he is eligible in a few years.

There have been studies that show if you are genetically likely to live into your 90s+ you will live into your 90s regardless of what you do

Stop thinking about cancer. Stop getting health advice off random strangers off the internet. Follow NHS guidance and reputable charitable organisations. Instead focus what you can do positively with your days, weeks, months, years and hopefully decades walking this world.

Indeed. And life is too short not to enjoy a bit of bacon or salami every now and then if you enjoy it.

My dad was never overweight, always so fit and always played sport or ran/gym- he had a massive heart attack at 75 and died a few years later of heart failure.

My mum eats pretty much what she wants, is overweight, has diabetes but manages it well, doesn't exercise much, is 84 and looks more than 10 years younger and has lived longer in good health than my dad did.

I started a thread, as I was interested in this but on a different tack, no replies though! It was looking at MRI full scans as a precautionary measure, privately done, cost about £1-2k. There is also an HRC blood test in the pipeline. Expensive but can be done every 5-10 years.

Most doctors advise against those MRIs as they lead to over-testing and unnecessary and often intrusive investigations.

I'm not quite the opposite but it never crosses my mind
Nobody in my family has had cancer, but 3 have had Alzheimer's so that's what worries me most
My dads side is ok, my mums side is my nan diagnosed at 76, my mum diagnosed at 65 and her brother at 73

I don't think I am misunderstanding tbh. OP has an irrational anxiety about cancer and is trying to control that with diet and behaviour. She is trying to control the uncontrollable, and endless posts about oranges and power lines and green tea are just perpetuating the myth that what she wants can be done. It can't.

If you are at the stage of having chemo, no cancer professional will tell you to eat 10 a day or stop having sugar in your tea. They'll tell you to eat whatever you can fancy and worry about it later.

People need to realise that it is absolutely impossible for doctors to catch every instance of cancer before it progresses. It's why it pisses me off on here when you get posts saying they have X symptom and you get a multitude of responses advising they demand a referral or a colonoscopy or a mammogram etc.

Example - someone under the age of 40 with no risk factors presents with change of bowel habits, bloods and stool samples and all other primary care tests fine. But they still have symptoms. People say "push for a colonoscopy". GP won't refer. The reason GP won't refer is the chance of it being cancer at that age, without any dodgy tests, is extremely low, and colonoscopies are extremely invasive tests that come with their own risks. Yes inevitably you are going to get the odd outlier but the NHS simply cannot refer everyone for a colonoscopy on the off chance because the benefits of doing that do not outweigh the risks.

Same with stuff like breast pain. Vanishingly unlikely to be a symptom of breast cancer and yet I guarantee anyone who posts on here about it will be told "push for an urgent referral, I know X person who only had breast pain and it was cancer".

I'm not denying people do get fobbed off but I also think in general we have access to way too much information via the Internet and forums stuffed full of anxious people feeding off each other and telling scare stories. Sometimes we have to accept we can only control so much and there is always going to be uncertainty in life.