” After you read this article, you may be wondering: could you or your parents get cancer?
It’s less common, but young people get cancer too. How likely that is depends on your risk factors, according to Dr. Lowell E. Irwin, Medical Director of the Cancer Detection Center of the American Cancer Society.
There are some things you can do to reduce your risk. Here’s what the Cancer Society recommends:
1. Don’t smoke.
2. Eat five or more servings of fruit or vegetables a day.
3. Limit high-fat foods, such as red meat.
4. Get exercise and maintain a healthy weight.
5. Don’t drink too much alcohol.
6. Use sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun.
7. Get a check-up every three years. Women should have a pelvic exam every one to three years with a PAP test.
Ten Warning Signs of Cancer
• A sore that does not heal.
• A lump in the breast or any part of the body.
• Any unusual bleeding or discharge from any part of the body.
• Any wart or mole which changes in size or color.
• Indigestion (gas or discomfort in the abdomen) or difficulty in swallowing.
• A persistent cough.
• Any change in bowel habits (especially with black or bloody stools).
• Unexplained weakness and/or loss of weight.
• Any change in color or skin or increasing paleness.
• Any headache which persists.”