Harrison's Internal Medicine Chapter 78. Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer: Introduction Improved understanding of carcinogenesis has allowed cancer prevention and early detection (also known as cancer control) to expand beyond the identification and avoidance of carcinogens. Specific interventions to prevent cancer in those at risk, and more sensitive and specific screening for early detection of cancer are the goals. Carcinogenesis is not simply an event but a process, a continuum of discrete cellular changes over time resulting in more autonomous cellular processes. Prevention concerns the identification and manipulation of the genetic, biologic, and environmental. | Chapter 078. Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer Part 1 Harrison s Internal Medicine Chapter 78. Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer Introduction Improved understanding of carcinogenesis has allowed cancer prevention and early detection also known as cancer control to expand beyond the identification and avoidance of carcinogens. Specific interventions to prevent cancer in those at risk and more sensitive and specific screening for early detection of cancer are the goals. Carcinogenesis is not simply an event but a process a continuum of discrete cellular changes over time resulting in more autonomous cellular processes. Prevention concerns the identification and manipulation of the genetic biologic and environmental factors in the causal pathway of cancer. Education and Healthful Habits Public education on the avoidance of identified risk factors for cancer and encouraging healthy habits contributes to cancer prevention and control. The physician is a powerful messenger in this education campaign. The patientphysician encounter provides an opportunity to teach patients about the hazards of smoking the features of a healthy lifestyle including diet and exercise use of proven cancer screening methods and sun avoidance. Smoking Cessation Tobacco smoking is the most modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease pulmonary disease and cancer. Smokers have a 33 lifetime risk of dying prematurely from a tobacco-related cancer cardiovascular or pulmonary disease. Tobacco use causes more deaths from cardiovascular disease than from cancer. Lung cancer and cancers of the larynx oropharynx esophagus kidney bladder pancreas and stomach are all tobacco-related. The degree of smoke exposure meaning the number of cigarettes smoked per day as well as the level of inhalation of cigarette smoke is correlated with risk of lung cancer mortality. Light- and low-tar cigarettes are not safer because smokers tend to inhale them more .
