Arif Kamal, Chief Patient Officer of American Cancer Society and President of American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Just over 25 years ago, 1.2 million Americans would hear the words, “You have cancer.”
That’s a big number.
Yet, in 2026, nearly 2.2 million people will hear those words.
So, over the course of our lifetime, nearly 1 million more people annually are suffering from cancer.
The good news? The number of people dying from cancer is going up only modestly. And for my epidemiology friends, completely acknowledge that age-adjusted rates are decreasing.
And more good news: the evidence is clear that nearly half of cancers have a modifiable risk factor, e.g. choices we can control that start with the food we cook in our kitchens, the number of times we get outside for a walk, the commitment to quit smoking.
So, my challenge to everyone is this – make one small change this week – with the intention of reducing cancer risk.
My one small change is to substitute whole grain wheat bread for white bread when I go grocery shopping tomorrow.
Because bending the incidence curve will take intentional change, which can happen one small step at a time.”
Other articles featuring Arif Kamal on OncoDaily.