Significance

• Cancer is one of the biggest causes of death in the United States, second only to heart disease. Although the death rates from cancer have slowly declined over the past decade, numbers are still high and the American Cancer Society projects there will 565,650 cancer deaths in the year of 2008.
  
  

Types

• Some of the most common types of cancer are colon, lung, breast, skin, prostate and liver. Genetic predisposition is often the root cause for these cancers, but for the most part, they can be prevented.
  
  

Identification

• Skin cancer is the number one form of cancer in the country. One of the biggest causes for this type of cancer is exposure to ultraviolet rays given off by the sun. The easiest way to avoid skin cancer is to use sunscreen or avoid sun exposure for long periods of time.
  
  

Misconceptions

• The American Cancer Society did a survey to find the top 5 cancer myths. Some of these may be surprising:
  
  1. The risk of dying from cancer in the United States is increasing.
  2. Living in a polluted city is a greater risk of cancer than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
  3. Some injuries can cause cancer later in life.
  4. Electronic devices like cell phones can cause cancer in the people who use them.
  5. What someone does as a young adult has little effect on their chances of getting cancer later in life.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• There are many ways to prevent cancer from happening. Eating healthier, exercising regularly, and eliminating tobacco have all been known to reduce the risk of cancer. This would include lowering intake of saturated fats, red meat and highly refined foods.
  
  Another great prevention strategy is daily exercise. Aim for 30 minutes on most, if not all, days of the week. Drinking alcohol can actually be advantageous as a preventive measure as well. Consuming one to two servings a day for men and one serving a day for women has been known to be beneficial.
  
  

Theories/Speculation

• It has been said that stress can be directly related to cancer. Stress has been known to take a physical and psychological toll on the body, but there is little known evidence that it leads to cancer. There is more pending evidence that a highly stressed person turns to bad lifestyle habits such as drinking, smoking and poor diet which are risk factors for cancer.
  
  

Expert Insight

• Common forms of cancer that can be prevented are lung, colon, skin and liver. The best way to do this is by following a healthy diet, exercising regularly and avoiding cigarettes and excessive alcohol.