According to new research nearly 43,000 cases of cancer could be prevented in 2025 if Australians eat better and exercised more. Cancer Council researchers estimate about 170,000 cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2025 - a 60 per cent increase on the number of diagnoses in 2007. The researchers say governments must act to reduce the future burden of cancer.
The estimates published this week in the Medical Journal of Australia, show bowel cancer has the greatest potential for prevention through diet and exercise - an estimated 10,049 cases could be avoided. Among other projections, an estimated 7,273 breast cancer cases and 4,882 prostate cancer cases could be avoided in 2025.
If Australians adopted a healthier lifestyle, the researchers estimate the reduction in cancer cases could save the health system $674 million in 2025. They speculate that only about 5 to 10 per cent of cases are linked to genetic or inherited disorders. Motivating populations to improve their health status is difficult despite the theoretical impact of prevention, the researchers say.
“Unless a concerted and significant effort is made to invest in and implement powerful preventive measures, the impact of primary prevention on reducing the total cancer incidence over the coming decades will probably be relatively small,” the report states. “Just over 2 per cent of Australia's total health expenditure in 2007-08 was spent on preventive services or health promotion.”
Cancer Council South Australia chief executive Professor Brenda Wilson said the study painted “a very clear picture of the growing burden of cancer on our Australian community and what can be done to prevent it”. “We have a lot of work to do here in SA with a recent (2010) Cancer Council survey finding that less than one-quarter of South Australians met the recommended levels of physical activity for cancer prevention and approximately 56 per cent were found to be either overweight or obese,” she said.
Pip Youl, one of the authors and the head of research at Cancer Council Queensland, said that fewer than 10 per cent of Australians ate the recommended five serves of vegetables a day and only 6 per cent ate two or more serves of fruit a day. “Ways to encourage better eating are things like improving the number of whole-grain cereals and bread, choosing foods that are low in salt, choosing a low-fat diet, particularly diets that are low in saturated fats. One of the key things is teaching children to eat healthily. So getting them interested in cooking and eating healthy foods, and that will give them a really good start in life.” She said that even with awareness it was difficult to motivate populations to improve their health and governments must implement measures. Ms Youl said it was critical to have a coordinated approach from state and federal governments to spend money on preventive measures to reduce the $3.8 billion a year in direct costs to the health system from cancer-related illnesses.
Cancer Council SA recommends daily exercise - either vigorously for half an hour or moderately for an hour - a healthy diet including vegetables, fruit and whole grains and a limited red meat intake. Regular medical check-ups and screening tests, not smoking, being careful about sun exposure and limiting or avoiding alcohol intake also helped reduce the risks.
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