Cancer is a major killer. There are three key elements to understand with your cancer risk.
- GENETICS. Do you have a family history of cancer? Any genetic predispositions to cancer? BRCA is the most commonly known one, but there are multiple other syndromes and cancer genes known to be high risk. This is testable. It is why we do the Genetic Cancer Screening test in our clinic.
- HABITS. Do you smoke is the first question that will be asked. Smoking increases the risk of almost every cancer. But there are other habits associated with increased cancer risk: drinking alcohol, eating processed meats, not eating enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Exercise. Weight.
- ENVIRONMENT. There are studies which show that air pollution and exposure to certain chemicals increases cancer rates.
So what is YOUR risk?
We found two great calculators that we wanted to share with you.
The American Cancer Society has a great calculator that takes many of these factors into account and walks you through with simple questions to determine your risk. They ask for basic things- gender, age, zip code (for environmental risks), height and weight, race. They then ask for familial and genetic issues- BRCA, Lynch syndrome, familial polyposis, and other genetic markers like PALB2, ATM, and CHEK2. It walks through what screening you have had, what your eating/drinking/smoking habits are, your activity levels and more. At the end it has basic recommendations and action items you can do. Cancer Risk
For a more global view of general risks of health issues, including cancer rates and numbers, the NIH has a scale. It does not ask for as detailed information (only gender, age, smoking history, and race), but the absolute numbers and percentages are interesting. NIH Cancer Risk
How can Biohackr Health help?
- SCREEN. We offer genetic cancer gene testing and Galleri blood testing.
- LOWER YOUR RISK. Losing weight, controlling blood sugar, and other health interventions lower your risk for cancer.
- EDUCATE. Read our blogs. We are bringing science to the field of biohacking and healthspan. We believe in evidence based treatments. Cancer blogs
