We can beat cancer Awareness and Prevention Guide

Quick Facts  Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide.  8.2 million people die from cancer every year.  More than one-third of those deaths are preventable.  If detected early, many cancers are treatable.  You can reduce your risk of getting cancer!

Factors that increase the risk of different types of cancer  Smoking – lung cancer, possibly other types of cancer also  Drinking alcohol – increased risk of many cancers of many cancer types  Increased body weight and not exercising  Ultraviolet light – skin cancer  Human papilloma virus – cervical cancer  Asbestos – mesothelioma (cancer in the membrane lining of the lungs)

What can you do? 10 cancers: Being overweight or obese increases the risk of 10 cancers: Bowel Oesophagus UterineOvarianPancreatic Breast KidneyLiverProstateGallbladder You can reduce the risk by:  Maintaining a healthy weight  Making physical activity part of your day

Smoking Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer globally. Quitting smoking will have a major positive impact on an individual’s health and that of their families and friends. The good news is that quitting at any age is beneficial, increasing life expectancy and improving quality of life.

What can you do? Learn how to quit smoking at our free Tuesday Staff Smoking Cessation Sessions!  9 February  23 February  1 March  8 March with Stuart Robbie, Smoking Advisor (NHS Advisor) 10 – 11.30am Committee Room 3, University Office

Alcohol Alcohol is also strongly linked with an increased risk of multiple types of cancer, including: Cancers of the mouthPharynxLarynx OeasophagusBowelLiverBreast Reducing alcohol consumption decreases the risk!

Can you be ‘screened’ for cancer? In the UK we have two ‘screening’ programmes to try to detect cancer early that are available to you:  Breast cancer – women aged between 50 and 70 are invited to have a breast X-ray every three years.  Bowel cancer – men and women aged are invited to take a simple test done at home every two years.

What else can you do? To help encourage and support staff to exercise, the following classes are free at Aberdeen Sports Village:  Total Fitness – Tuesdays –  Sports Conditioning – Thursdays – Find our more on the University of Aberdeen’s Sports and Exercise Team’s website:

Some other things you could do  Vaccination against human papilloma virus available to reduce risk of cervical cancer – available to all girls aged  Protect your skin against ultraviolet light – by wearing T-shirt, hat, sunglasses and sun cream (the higher the factor, the better the protection)

We can beat cancer