NAN-F-25
Cancer
Canberra, Feb. 2, 2018 (Xinhua/NAN) Adopting healthy behaviours can cut a person’s risk of developing cancer by a third, the Cancer Australia Chief Executive Officer Helen Zorbas said on Friday.
Ahead of the World Cancer Day on Feb. 4, Zorbas offered Australians advice on how to reduce their cancer risk.
She said that quitting smoking and reducing consumption of alcohol and red meat were the best things a person could do to avoid cancer.
Cancer is the most burdensome disease in Australia measured by the impact of premature death and living with illness and/or injury.
The Cancer Council of Australia says that one in every two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85 with 134,000 new cases expected in 2018.
“Despite more people dying from cancer than ever before, the number of deaths per 100,000 people attributed to cancer has dropped 24 per cent,’’ it said that.
Zorbas said that the number of smokers in Australia has also dropped, adding that it remains the biggest cancer risk factor.
“In Australia, the proportion of adults who smoke daily has steadily decreased from 22 per cent in 2001 to fewer than 15 per cent in 2014 and 2015, which is lower than comparable countries such as Canada, New Zealand and the UK.
“However, smoking still directly contributes to more than 13 per cent of all cancers in Australia which include cervical, bowel, stomach, pancreas and lung cancers, and causes almost a quarter of all cancer deaths.
“While quitting smoking can be a challenge for people, it is vital in reducing cancer risk,” Zorbas said in a statement.
Alcohol consumption and Australia’s obesity epidemic were identified as other major risk factors.
“Australians’ overall alcohol consumption has fallen markedly since it peaked in the early 1970s, but it is still high when compared to other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
In 2013, alcohol contributed to almost 3,500 cancers in Australia, including breast, esophageal and liver cancers.
“Around one in 20 cancers in Australia are associated with overweight or obesity, yet, critically, 28 per cent of our adult population is classified as obese, which compares poorly with many other OECD nations,” Zorbas said. (Xinhua/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole