Sami Mansfield: What is the best cure for cancer patients
Sami Mansfield shared a post on LinkedIn:
“The BEST cure for cancer is not getting a cancer diagnosis.
While this feels incredibly obvious, and I know some people will roll their eyes or cite genetic mutations, I encourage you to pause and keep reading to consider this message in the big picture.
Genetics are only responsible for about 10% of cancers, so if we hang our hat on that, what else are we missing? In cancer survivorship – we are hearing about the “silver tsunami” the number of older adults who have gone through or are going through cancer.
Cancer rates are increasing in younger adults, according to a large study from The Lancet Public Health.
The study found rising cancer rates in Generation Xers and Millennials for 17 out of 34 cancer types, including breast, pancreatic, and gastric cancers. The study was led by the American Cancer Society.
A recently published report titled “Cancer Statistics, 2024” is an annual report from the ACS that provides information about cancer facts and trends.
The report, which was published in January, revealed that although cancer deaths are decreasing, the number of new cases is increasing.
The number of new cases rose from 1.9 million in 2022 to over 2 million in 2023.
In recent years, there has been an increase in new cancer cases among younger people. Younger adults have experienced a rise in overall cancer incidence from 1995 to 2020, with an increase of 1% to 2% each year.
The ACS annual report noted increasing cases of common cancers like breast, prostate, and endometrial in young adults, as well as colorectal and cervical cancers.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men under 50 and the second leading cause in women of the same age group.
Cases have been increasing steadily in individuals 55 and younger since the mid-1990s, according to the ACS.
And while prevention programs love to focus on screenings, we must remember that screenings are only early detection at best and do nothing to reduce our risk.
What can we do, While I certainly realize there is not ONE thing, the power of a healthy lifestyle is one of the best tools we have.
We know that obesity is a factor but the underlying issue is metabolic health and this is NOT a weight only issue.
What should we do, It starts with us. What can we do for ourselves today to take one small step towards improved metabolic health.
Not sure where to start, Feel free to reach out or comment below, I would be happy to share some of my favorite tools and resources, Want to help your patients, This is also why I created the patient facing My Lifestyle Shift program and our other resources such as YouTube, to help move past the noise to start today”
Source: Sami Mansfield/LinkedIn
Sami Mansfield is the founder of Cancer Wellness for Life. She’s been a certified cancer exercise specialist since 2003 and has dedicated her career to implementing evidence-based lifestyle education, resources and tools into cancer care for both the patients and the providers.