National Cancer Prevention Month, African-American Cancer Rates Still Too High
Joycelyn L. Speight, M.D., Ph.D., DABR is a board certified Radiation Oncologist and Palliative Care specialist with Dual Board Certification in Radiation Oncology and Hospice and Palliative care. February is National Cancer Prevention Month, Is Cancer Preventable?
African-Americans suffer from a higher cancer rate than the U.S. population at large, and in certain kinds of cancer — including lung, stomach, prostate, uterine, pancreas, colon and the kidney — the difference is significant.
African-American oncologist Joycelyn Speight, M.D., is working to reduce this trend by introducing the latest in advanced cancer treatments through a public awareness campaign that targets her community.
Dr. Joycelyn L. Speight is a board certified Radiation Oncologist and Palliative Care specialist with Dual Board Certification in Radiation Oncology and Hospice and Palliative care. She completed a 4 year Radiation Oncology residency at the University of Southern California, followed by a brachytherapy and urologic oncology fellowship at the University of California San Francisco. UCSF is recognized as one of the top 5 medical schools in the country and is home to one of the few NIH designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. UCSF has offered one of the first integrative medicine and symptom management (palliative care) programs and annually ranks among the top 10 hospitals in the U.S . Upon completion of her fellowship, Dr. Speight joined the faculty at UCSF where she sub-specialized Genitourinary cancers and Women’s Health via her focus on women’s cancer.
Dr. Speight’s education and training journey came full circle when she took on the role of Residency and Fellowship Program Director and Vice -Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UCSF. Dr. Speight was recruited away from UCSF in 2009 to join a multi-specialty group with the specific goal of helping develop an integrated cancer program with one of the two large hospital systems in the area. Dr. Speight has been voted one of the Best Doctors in America by her peers, every year since 2008.
According to the American Cancer Society’s pamphlet on “Cancer Facts & Figures for African-Americans 2013-1014”, in this population, about 95,000 men and 82,000 women will be diagnosed with cancer this year. They expect prostate cancer to be the most common for men and breast cancer for women.
So, why is cancer hitting the African-American population much harder than others in the USA? Is it physiological, cultural, educational or all of the above?
“All of the above” says Dr. Speight. “This is a community that needs to be educated on the symptoms of the disease and the treatments that are available. Cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence.”
There was a recent study by Black Women’s Health Studies (BWHS) that purports that African-American women who exercised vigorously for at least 3 hours per week reduced the risk of breast cancer by 47%
And, with February being National Cancer Prevention Month, Dr. Speight has come up with a list of helpful suggestions for all who to want avoid cancer. Dr. Speight also noted that the World Health Organization’s cancer agency has also warned there will be 22 million new cases of cancer every year within the next two decades.
“Monday’s report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer estimated in 2012 there were 14 million new cases but predicted these numbers would increase significantly due to global aging and the spread of cancers to developing countries,” says Dr. Speight. The Lyon-based cancer arm of the WHO said more than 60 percent of the world’s cancer cases are in Africa, Asia, Central and South America.
In 2012, IARC said the top cancer killers were those of the lung, liver and stomach. The agency called for countries to consider stronger legislation to encourage healthier lifestyles, including measures to tackle consumption of alcohol and sugary drinks.
For example, did you know that Calcium consumption has been associated with a decreased incidence of ANY cancer in women AND a decreased incidence in colon cancer in both men and women? Also, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may have a proactive effect against the development of lung cancer.
According to Dr. Speight:
- Staying physically fit and active benefits more than just your heart:
Higher levels of physical activity are associated decreased risk of colon and breast cancers and possible decreases in the risks of endometrial, prostate, liver, pancreatic, stomach and lung cancers. Increasing your physical activity, even starting later in life reduces the overall risk of developing breast cancer across all risk categories, including in women considered to be at high risk. Consistent physical activity is more important than how strenuous the activity.
- A lower dosage aspirin daily appears to reduce more than just the risk of heart attack:
Long term study of over 20,000 people who took aspirin (at least 75 mg per day) showed a 20% decreased risk in overall cancer mortality after 20 years, with most of the benefit occurring after five years of aspirin use. The reduction was most significant for esophageal and colorectal cancers, but a reduction in gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer and a variety of other solid cancers.
- Wear broad spectrum sunscreen every day no matter what your skin tone, for anti-aging and anti-cancer benefits.
Long-term chronic UV exposure increases the risk of non-melanoma (basal cell and squamous cell) skin cancer, while acute intermittent UV exposure increases the risk of melanoma. Though the influence of sun exposure early in life appears to be greater than exposure at a later age, UV exposure at older ages also contributes to the risk of developing skin cancer; continued protection from UV exposure lowers subsequent skin cancer risk.
- Drink in moderation to avoid those empty calories and reduce your cancer risk
Long term, alcohol consumption is responsible for nearly 4% of the global cancer burden. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of head and neck cancer (oral cavity, pharyngeal, laryngeal cancer), esophageal cancer, colon and rectal cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Alcohol consumption may also increases the risk of liver and colorectal cancers in women.
- Caffeine may be more than just a “pick-me-up”
A 2013 epidemiologic study in reported that the intake of more than 4 cups of caffeinated coffee per day was associated with a 49% lower risk of head and neck cancer death, compared to none or only occasional coffee consumption; the association was not modified by gender, smoking status or alcohol consumption. There’s good news for decaf drinkers as well: a nearly 40% lower relative risk was estimated for drinking more than 2 cups per day of decaffeinated coffee.
