Published Mar 26, 2024

Young and Worried About Cancer? The Five Things You Shouldn’t Do (And What Doctors Recommend)

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The Importance of Cancer Screenings

If you’re worried about the concerning uptick amongst certain types of cancers, revealed in a recent study, SurvivorNet recommends some things you should refrain from doing in an effort to prevent cancer and what doctors recommend – further emphasizing the importance of cancer screenings.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women at average breast cancer risk begin screening at age 40. Women with the BRCA gene mutation, who have a family history of cancer, or have dense breasts, are at higher risk and should talk with their doctor about when to screen may be younger than 40.
According to Dr. Anna Beavis, women should start scheduling their cervical cancer screenings starting at age 21 and continue until age 65. However, even if you’re 65 years or older, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily off the hook. In order to skip these screenings, you’ll need to have had regular pap smears for the past 10 years in order to get the all clear.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend that adults age 45 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer.
Making all of your doctor’s appointments for major health screenings is a good way to make sure your health is covered from all angles, whether it’s a mammogram, Pap smear, colonoscopy, screening for prostate cancer, lung cancer scan, or a skin check at the dermatologist.

Prevention is certainly key when it comes to keeping cancer at bay, and as recent data has revealed a concerning uptick amongst certain types of cancers, like colon cancer, it’s understandable that younger generations may be worried about what steps to take in reducing cancer risk.

Research findings of a mysterious cancer boom recently offered some insight into why more and more young people, under the age of 50, are getting sick—something which further emphasizes the importance of cancer screenings.

The study, published in the open access journal BMJ Oncology, found global cancer cases among younger generations have increased by nearly 80 percent between the years of 1990 and 2019. Included among the diagnoses, some of the cancers with highest incidence rates include stomach, colon, breast, and lung. And the fastest increasing trends were found in throat and prostate cancers—so with this information, it’s completely normal to be worried about getting cancer, and the steps you should be taking to prevent disease.

Although a vast amount of health information is easy accessable and simply a Google-search away, it’s incredibly important to understand what types of preventative measures should be avoided, and of course, what actions should be taken to fend off cancer.

There are a lot of misconceptions about cancer prevention, but SurvivorNet is setting the facts straight. You might have heard that extreme diets or expensive full-body scans can keep cancer away, but those are just some of the unnecessary actions one might take in hopes of cancer prevention.

SurvivorNet breaks down the five things we can avoid doing when it comes to cutting our cancer risk, and help us in the long-run.

1. Expensive Full-Body MRI Scans

Expensive full-body scans, like Prenuvo’s whole-body MRI scan to screen for possible cancers, which comes with a hefty price tag of more than $2,500, should be avoided, as early detection isn’t always beneficial.

The idea that cancer prevention is a one time shot by machines rather than proven testing is highly risky. And not only that, but it’s tremendously expensive.

Although SurvivorNet commends taking control of your health, it important to note that Prenuvo’s full body MRIs are not part of regular screening guidelines for the public, and instead, doctors usually recommend genetic testing. It’s always smart to talk with your doctor and then move forward with basic screenings that are relevant, like mammograms, colonoscopies, skin cancer testing, and pap smears for cervical cancer.

Prenuvo’s website, which offers a 60-minute whole body scan starting at $2,499, may pride its machine for being the “most precise, comprehensive whole body MRI scan that exists today,” but you should be aware there are potential harms that come with early screenings.

Mammograms Are Still the Best Tool for Detecting Breast Cancer

Early detection is often advised in certain cases, starting at specific ages, depending on the type of disease, but in the case of getting this type of full body scan, this type of preventative measure may not have ideal outcomes.

In fact, the American College of Preventive Medicine, recommends against using whole-body scans for early tumor detection in asymptomatic patients. They also urge low-risk women aged 65 years or older not to undergo cervical cancer screenings and for men not to have routine PSA-based screenings for prostate cancer.

Meanwhile, a National Cancer Institute-funded study, published September 27, 2023, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that cancer-screening guidelines “don’t adequately capture the potential harms of cancer screening.”

It’s evident that screenings like, mammograms, colonoscopies, and HPV or Pap smears, can help people find precancerous growths, receive treatment early on, and reduce deaths from disease, but the NCI warns, “screening can also cause various harms including physical harm, worry and stress, inaccurate results, and unnecessary follow-up procedures.”

Meanwhile, Paul Doria-Rose, Ph.D., chief of NCI’s Healthcare Assessment Research Branch, said says screening for cancer is recommended only when the potential benefits outweigh the potential harms.

“If there’s overwhelming evidence of a net benefit of a screening test, we don’t want to scare somebody off” from getting screened, Dr. Doria-Rose explains, according to the NCI. “But by the same token, if there’s a risk that [a serious harm] could happen if you have a screening test or a follow-up diagnostic test, then it’s a physician’s obligation to inform patients about what the risks of those procedures are.”

The NCI lists the potential screening test harms as:

Physical harm
Radiation exposure
False-negative result
False-positive result
Over diagnosis
Psychological harm

2. Unproven diets

You should also steer clear of any diets lacking scientific and medical evidence of effectiveness in cancer prevention, such as the Alkaline diet, Breuss diet (of vegetable juice and tea), intermittent fasting, or eating specific superfoods.

Various diets and extreme dieting having been dubbed not effective in cancer prevention, and some may even be harmful. So make sure you’re not taking part in a diet not proven in cancer prevention. However, diet does play a major role in cancer prevention, as cancer risk can be linked to consuming high amounts of sugar, carbs, overcooked processed meats, and alcohol, according to studies.

There’s no evidence that alcohol directly causes cancer, but it has been proven that excessive drinking puts us at higher risk of a cancer diagnosis. In a number of studies looking at breast cancer risk, researchers concluded that women who drank more than about three drinks in one day were at a one and a half times higher risk of developing breast cancer than non-drinkers.

Does Alcohol Impact the Risks for Colon and Other Cancers?

While having an occasional cocktail, beer, or wine may be harmless, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can severely damage the liver, an organ vital for regulating blood chemistry. In fact, heavy drinking on a regular basis is considered one of the biggest risk factors for liver cancer.

“The effects of alcohol, along with the effects of metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes, is definitely the driving factor for liver cancer in the United States,” Dr. Ariel Jaffe, a board certified internist, gastroenterologist, hepatologist. and assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.

As Dr. Jaffe explains, when you drink a lot, your liver has to work extra hard to break down the alcohol. Over time, your liver becomes swollen and scarred, making it easier for cancer to start growing in your liver. He adds, “One of the biggest drivers of your ability to tolerate treatment is to preserve underlying liver function. Certainly alcohol or stopping can have an effect.”

SurvivorNetTV Presents ‘How Not To Get Cancer: Diet’ — The Power of Prevention & Healthy Habits

According to a study published in August in the JAMA Network Open, people who “increased their alcohol consumption had a higher risk for alcohol-related cancers and all cancers compared with those who had sustained levels of drinking” and people “who reduced their alcohol consumption had a lower risk.”

In addition, researchers also found that people had “an increased risk ” temporarily after quitting drinking, but there was no increase found “when quitting was sustained.” What this means is that changing your drinking behavior may positively affect your cancer risk. Therefore, the researchers concluded that “alcohol cessation (discontinuance) and reduction should be reinforced for the prevention of cancer.”

Registered Dietician Krista Maruschak, who works with clients at the Cleveland Clinic, previously told SurvivorNet, “The American Institute for Cancer Research came up with a way to set-up your plate at your meals to really optimize the amount of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that you have in meals.

“So, that’s going to look like two-thirds of your plate being plant based foods — like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, things like that — and the other third of your plate will be made up of lean protein sources such as chicken, fish or eggs.”

Maruschak recommends eating more “anti-inflammatory” foods if you’re looking to reduce cancer risk, such as:

Incorporate as many fruits and vegetables as you can throughout the day.
Replace refined carbohydrates with whole grains like whole wheat bread and brown rice.
Replace high-fat red meats with lean meats like chicken, turkey and fish.
Incorporate more plant-based proteins, like beans and lentils,
Add spices to your diet that have various anti-inflammatory properties, like cinnamon and turmeric.

3. Extreme Vitamins & Supplements

Something else to avoid is taking any vitamins in excess, or cancer supplements or alternative medicines that aren’t proven to prevent cancer.

Recent guidelines from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommend we should no take Vitamin E or beta carotene as a way to prevent cancer. The task force says more research is needed to determine if other vitamins, minerals and multivitamin supplements help prevent cancer and heart disease.

“The evidence shows there is no benefit to taking vitamin E and that beta-carotene can be harmful because it increases the risk of lung cancer in people already at risk, such as those who smoke, and also increases the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke,” Task Force member Dr. John Wong said in a statement.

In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Marleen Meyers, a medical oncologist and director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, explained that there aren’t any good studies that show that taking vitamin supplements are helpful for cancer.

“In fact, some vitamins and supplements actually can be negative, can go against your health if you take too much of it,” Dr. Meyers said.

According to these drafted guidelines, the USPSTF examined the role of Vitamin E and beta-carotene which led them to recommend against using them as a way to prevent cancer. Vitamin E can be found in certain types of foods such as cooking oils, nuts, and spinach. However, others can take this vitamin in supplement form. Ultimately Vitamin E is a the name for a collection of fat-soluble compounds with distinctive antioxidant activities. This can help break down food and boost the immune system.

Dr. Marleen Meyers breaks down the myth that vitamins are helpful during cancer

Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant and does have numerous health benefits, but there are no definitive studies yet that show a significant benefit for the prevention or treatment of cancer. In fact, numerous studies have offered inconclusive results about the effectiveness of high-dose vitamin C in cancer treatment while others have suggested it may even be detrimental to cancer patients.

As for the connection between Vitamin D and cancer, it’s a bit more complex than other vitamins. Vitamin D serves an important role in making sure your body gets food and sunlight. However, recent research suggests there’s something about the way Vitamin D is processed in the body that drives some of the racial differences in prostate cancer between white and Black men. Turns out that Black men run higher risk for vitamin D deficiency than their white counterparts, which could play a role in cancer risk.

That being said, there’s still no proof that Vitamin D can prevent cancer or treat it. The connection between vitamin D and cancer has been studied for years, and the results have been anything but conclusive. The current evidence is insufficient to support large-dose vitamin D supplementation for the purpose of cancer prevention and the majority of vitamin D intervention trials do not show a reduction in cancer risk.

4. Alternative Medicine

When seeking cancer prevention or following a cancer diagnosis, many people will head to the Internet and search something to the effect of, “what’s the cure?” or “how can I prevent cancer?”

Dr. Jason Westin, leader of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma research team at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, has an important message: don’t believe everything you read.

“Sadly, there’s a lot of information on the internet that’s not well-curated,” Dr. Westin previously told SurvivorNet.

Many of the answers that will likely pop up on the Internet include what are known as “alternative therapies.” These refer to treatments that people may choose in place of conventional medicine, and they can range from mind-body approaches and diet and nutrition choices to supplements, healing crystals, Chinese medicine, and Ayurvedic medicine. They’re touted all over the internet, and they often sound too good to be true.

That’s because they probably are, according to Dr. Westin, who said, “If there were treatment options that weren’t based on chemotherapies or targeted therapies that worked well for our patients, sign me up!”

But it’s for a good reason that these therapies aren’t used at comprehensive cancer centers: they haven’t proven themselves effective in clinical trials, which are rigorous studies that test treatments in the population of people they’re intended to treat. Clinical trials test new treatments for safety and efficacy; every drug or treatment approved for widespread use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to have gone through multiple phases of clinical trials.

“Many patients wonder, ‘are [doctors] hiding a treatment that might be good for us?'” Dr. Westin said, adding that the answer is, “Absolutely not.”

Alternative Therapies: Don’t Believe Everything You Read on the Internet

Dr. Westin explained that, if there were to be something out there that worked better than the proven treatment options that doctors usually use such as chemotherapy or targeted therapies, researchers would be studying that something in clinical trials.

“And we are studying it,” he said. In fact, there are thousands of clinical trials underway studying new and potentially better treatment options.

Sometimes, the therapies or supplements you read about on the internet can be ok and maybe even beneficial if they’re used with conventional medicine, not in its place. These options make up “complementary medicine,” which, when its used in tandem with conventional medicine, is called “integrative medicine.” Many doctors believe in integrative medicine, so long as they remain in the loop and give their patients the go-ahead before combining anything new with their treatment.

However, he majority of doctors tend to be in agreement about the fact that these options should never replace conventional treatment. In 2018, researchers out of Yale University substantiated this through a study published in JAMA Oncology that found that patients who choose alternative therapies in the place of conventional medicine are twice as likely to die from their cancers. But unfortunately, a survey that same year found that nearly 40 percent of people believe that alternative therapies alone such as vitamins, minerals, or diet can cure cancer.

The Difference Between Integrative Medicine and Alternative Medicine

But even if you weren’t planning on foregoing the treatment that your doctor prescribes as you try out something you read on the Internet, it’s absolutely vital that you talk to your doctor first. Your oncologists who know the specifics of your cancer and the way the treatments you’re taking work are the only ones who will be able to tell you whether that “cancer-curing” supplement is going to interact negatively with your actual treatment. It may, for instance, cause the treatment to be less effective, or may wind up being harmful, or causing debilitating side effects.

This is why Dr. Westin confidently reminds people, “Make sure if you’re finding information the internet about something that sounds too good to be true, talk to your doctor about it,” he said, adding that, in addition to not being effective, these therapies can often cost a lot of money.

5. Lastly, Don’t Freak Out

Lastly, you should remember to stay calm, don’t worry too much, and refrain from Googling anything that comes to mind. Instead, it’s better to seek counseling and support, and ultimately get on path with major cancer screenings, as well as push for answers to any questions you may have.

When it comes to fear of the future and worries you may have, make sure to speak with your doctor on the necessary prevention steps to follow and understand there is misinformation online, so it’s important to seek medical news from reliable websites.

In regard to the disturbing trend of more younger people getting cancer diagnoses, Dr. Steve Patierno, a Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “Research is needed at every level of cancer science: basic, translational, clinical, population, and implementation science, in order to effect behavioral and policy changes that might mitigate the complex and converging risk factors that are driving this disturbing trend.”

“The steady rise in young-onset cancer among multiple tumor types is highly concerning and will significantly impact people and society in significant ways if not reversed,” Dr. Kimmie Ng, Associate Chief, Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, also told SurvivorNet.

“Research into the underlying cause of this rising trend is of utmost importance for prevention, early detection, and treatment.”

WATCH: Screening for breast cancer.

Screenings and early detection, researchers note, are contributing factors to the increase in cancer rates among younger people. In recent years, the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that the colorectal cancer screening age be lowered to 45; the previous recommended age was 50.

The USPSTF also lowered the recommended age to begin breast cancer screening to 40. The previous guidance issued in 2016 was age 50.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) suggests women should begin annual mammogram screenings for breast cancer at age 45 if they are at average risk for breast cancer.

The ACS also advises:

Women aged 40-44 have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year
Women aged 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year
Women aged 55 and older could also choose to continue yearly mammograms

Although research suggests more young people are screening which can help catch cancer development in earlier stages, there exists the risk of over diagnosis.

Younger women, for example, have been found to have more false positive events and biopsies leading to anxiety, when compared to older women.

Overall, early screenings may take a toll on the emotional, physical, psychological, and financial aspects of a person but Dr. Paul Doria-Rose, Ph.D., chief of NCI’s Healthcare Assessment Research Branch, tells the National Cancer Institute that “more research is needed to learn how frequently some screening harms happen.”

WATCH: Colon Cancer Screening Options And Genetics Myth Busting

Meanwhile, smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. The tobacco in cigarettes is a carcinogen that causes mutations in lung cells and enables the growth of cancer. In fact, about 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, according to the American Cancer Society.

It’s also important to know that several thousand other lung cancer deaths are caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. The good news is that if you quit smoking, your risk for lung cancer decreases.

Take it from a guy who looks at diseased lungs every day: ‘Stop smoking’

“If you’re smoking, don’t smoke,” says Dr. Joseph Friedberg, Head of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “You never return down all the way to the [level of] the person who never smoked as far as your risk of lung cancer goes, but it goes down with time.”

“I think it behooves us all to try and increase the uptake of CT screening in particular, given that it’s been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality,” Dr. Forde adds.

The Importance of Cancer Screenings & Understanding Guidelines

It’s important that men and women of all ages know the facts around cancer screenings. For example, when it comes to scheduling a screening, older women sometimes may have different options depending on guidelines.

“A woman doesn’t need to come in for a pap smear every year, but can come in every three to five years, depending on her age,” Dr. Anna Beavis, a gynecological oncologist at John Hopkins Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet, regarding cervical cancer.

“I still recommend that every woman go to their [gynecologist] every year for an exam, even if a pap smear isn’t being done.””

According to Dr. Beavis, women should start scheduling their cervical cancer screenings starting at age 21 and continue until age 65. However, even if you’re 65 years or older, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily off the hook. In order to skip these screenings, you’ll need to have had regular pap smears for the past 10 years in order to get the all clear. These screenings are extremely important, especially since cervical cancer doesn’t present symptoms until it has advanced. By following guidelines and regularly having pap smears, your doctor can catch the disease before it has progressed.

Dr. Beavis’ recommendation echoes that of the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines, which state women starting at age 21 to age 29 should have a pap smear every three years. For women 30-years-old to age 65, guidelines recommend women should get a pap smear along with an HPV test (or an HPV test alone) every five years. The guidelines also specify which women qualify for three year screenings while others qualify for five. To determine this, it’s important to talk to your doctor as to whether you are “high-risk” of the disease or not.

How to Understand What’s Actually Valid Health Information Online

How can you know whether the information you read online, especially medical information, is reliable? There are a few ways:

The National Institutes of Health recommends that, as a rule, the sites you get medical information from should be sponsored by federal government agencies. Knowing who or what sponsors and hosts the website you’re reading from is important, too.

.gov are government agencies
.edu identifies an educational institution
.org usually identifies nonprofit organizations
.com identifies commercial website

Questions To Ask When Seeking Out Reliable Medical Info Online:

Who wrote the information?
Who reviewed it?
When was the information written?
What is the purpose of this website?

Dr. Jason Westin, leader of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma research team at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, previously told SurvivorNet: “Make sure if you’re finding information on the internet about something that sounds too good to be true, talk to your doctor about it.”