Preventive strategies for cancer in women.

Abstract

It is estimated that 480,000 types of cancer will occur in women during 1987, the most frequent being breast (27%), colon and rectum (16%), lung (11%), and uterus (10%). Of cancer deaths, lung (20%), breast (18%), and colorectal (14%) are most common. Uterine cancer is now the sixth cause of cancer death, after ovary and pancreas, due to the application of cancer detection. with an aging US population, cancer will become an even more significant health issue for women. Cancer in women aged 65 years and older occurs twice as frequently as in those aged 45 to 64 years. Melanoma is becoming an increasingly important public health problem because of its rising incidence during the last 20 years. Preventive strategies can be widely promoted to women in order to lower their cancer risk and to find cancer before symptoms appear. Smoking control, safe sun exposure, and simple recommendations for diet and nutrition can assist women in taking control of their lifestyles to reduce cancer risk. Early cancer detection, as outlined in the American Cancer Society's Cancer Related Checkup Guidelines, can be expected to find breast, colorectal, uterine, and other forms of cancer in asymptomatic women.