Hematology and Oncology

Cancer: Lifestyle and Nutrition

A cancer diagnosis is often linked to family medical history, lifestyle choices, or something in the environment. And while you can’t control your family history or your whole environment, healthy lifestyle habits such as a good diet, regular physical activity, weight control, and quitting smoking if you’re prone to lighting up are all within your control.

“Risk factors are individualized, but it’s important to know that there are things you can do to lower your risk”. Sometimes it comes down to the simple things, like reapplying sunscreen to prevent skin cancer if you’ve been outside for a while. Knowing what you're up against can help you devise a plan for what screenings you may need to get (and when), what dietary changes could benefit you, and more — all personalized for you. “Modifying one thing might be helpful for one person but not necessarily helpful for someone else”.

Some of the cancers that most often affect women are breast, colon, endometrial, lung, and cervical, skin, and ovarian cancers. Knowing about these cancers and what you can do to help prevent them or find them early (when they are small and easier to treat) may help save life. Most women with breast cancer will have surgery. The type of surgery you have depends mainly on the size and location of the tumour, the size of the breast.