Collin County Living Well Magazine March/April 2018 | Page 40

Fighting the Top 5 Cancers
Protect yourself with the latest information in oncology.
Courtesy Baylor Scott & White Health
U
ntil the day scientists de-
velop a cure for cancer, it’s
up to you and your medical
team to protect you from the
disease. Here is the No. 1
piece of advice for preventing the five
most common cancers—and what re-
searchers are doing to improve detec-
tion and treatment.
1. BREAST CANCER
Prevalence: Nearly a quarter of a
million new cases of breast cancer are
diagnosed in the U.S. each year, mak-
ing it the most common type of cancer
in women.
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Primary protection: For women
age 40 and older, the most important
measure for early detection is annual
screening mammograms. Additionally,
all women, including those younger
than 40, are advised to do monthly
breast self-exams to monitor any con-
cerning changes in the breast.
Promising research: Doctors are
studying the genetic makeup of breast
cancer to develop better drugs. “If we
know the specific genes that are driv-
ing a cancer and how those genes dif-
fer from the ones in normal cells, then
we can look for drugs that can target
those genes more specifically while
COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2018
having fewer side effects on the nor-
mal cells,” says Mark Holguin, MD,
chief of oncology of Baylor Scott &
White Health – Central Texas.
2. PROSTATE CANCER
Prevalence: About 1 in 7 men will
be diagnosed with prostate cancer in
his lifetime.
Primary protection: Several stud-
ies have suggested that diets high in
certain vegetables (tomatoes, brocco-
li, and beans and other legumes) and
fish may be linked with a lower risk of
prostate cancer. Also, some research
shows a higher risk of prostate cancer