We Asked 3 Oncologists About the Worst Thing You Can Do for Cancer Risk and They All Said the Same Thing

The word “cancer” is scary. The more you hear about the potential items (cleaning products!) and foods (sausage!) that can raise your risk, the more you may want to make like a burrowing animal and hide.

But we are not groundhogs, and having solid information about cancer risk from medical professionals like oncologists empowers you to control what you can, so you’re able to live the longest and healthiest life possible.

One medical oncologist explains that the temptation to avoid discussing cancer long predates the information overload many of us are experiencing thanks to social media. In the early 1950s, the New York Times didn’t even use the word “cancer.”

Dr. Jules Cohen, MD, a medical oncologist at the Stony Brook Cancer Center in New York, is well aware. His question: “How can you educate people about cancer if you can’t even mention its name?”

“The word ‘cancer’ is highly stigmatized,” he tells Parade. “Most people hear ‘cancer,’ and they think it’s synonymous with death. The reality is that there are many kinds of cancer, and their prognosis varies widely.”

For instance, Dr. Cohen shares that early-stage breast cancer has high survival rates. Unfortunately, metastatic (cancer that has spread) pancreatic cancer that involves the liver isn’t. “Cancer is a disease where cells develop molecular changes that make them grow in an uncontrolled fashion,” he explains. “It’s not evil or cursed, per se, but rather a glitch in the system.”

Thankfully, media publications use the word cancer these days, and we have many more tools and knowledge about cancer risk factors to flag this “glitch,” so you can better protect yourself.

Still, Dr. Cohen shares it’s important to have these discussions with your doctor, rather than feeling shame around your potential cancer risk and fears. “If you put your head in the sand because of fear…ironically, you increase your risk of having a bad outcome,” he says.

To help you get the conversation started, we asked three oncologists about the worst thing you can do for cancer risk, and they all said the same thing. Scroll on to learn what it is and what to do instead.

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The Worst Thing You Can Do for Cancer Risk, 3 Oncologists Agree

Oncologists are begging people not to skip the cancer screenings they are eligible for—even if they’re busy, feel fine and don’t have high genetic risks. “Skipping screenings is a mistake because cancer doesn’t discriminate, and it doesn’t wait for you to be ready,” Dr. Rohit Gosain, MD, the co-host of “The Oncology Brothers,” tells Parade. “Most cancers are undetected because they give no symptoms until they’ve already progressed.”

Two other oncologists agree.

“Skipping recommended cancer screenings is a critical mistake because it forfeits one of the most effective tools in cancer care: early detection,” explains Dr. Elias Obeid, MD, the medical director of Hackensack Meridian Hennessy Institute for Cancer Prevention and Applied Molecular Medicine. “The primary purpose of screening is to identify cancer at its earliest and most treatable stage, often before symptoms appear, which can dramatically improve outcomes and survival.”

Dr. Cohen says his patients who haven’t attended regular screenings more often have later-stage cancers that require more therapy to squash and still have a higher risk of recurrence.

“Skipping screenings is a type of unforced error because solid tumors, in particular, are most curable the earlier you find them,” he adds.

In fact, you can even avoid cancer by going to a screening. Dr. Cohen points out that a screening test may sometimes detect a precancerous lesion, such as a colon polyp or an abnormal Pap smear. Precancerous means exactly what you think it does: You don’t have cancer yet.

“Precancerous lesions…can be removed long before an actual cancer has actually developed,” he shares. “If you wait to develop symptoms—a lump in the breast, anemia due to blood loss—sometimes the cancer has spread to the adjacent lymph nodes, and sometimes it has spread even farther than that.”

The further the cancer spreads from where it started, the harder it is to treat, Dr. Cohen warns.

Don’t underestimate the importance of keeping the horse in the barn,” he says. “Once the horse has gotten out of the barn, sometimes you can never put them back in again.”

Related: We Asked 3 Oncologists About the Best Breakfast for Cancer Prevention and They All Said the Same Thing

6 Cancer Screenings Not To Skip

Different cancer screenings are recommended for people depending on their age, sex and other risk factors. Below, oncologists share the cancer screenings not to skip if offered.

1. Mammograms

This screens for breast cancer. “During a mammogram, the breast is positioned between two plates while low-dose X-ray images are taken,” he explains. “The compression can be uncomfortable for a few seconds, but the entire screening usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes.”

Most women begin screening at age 40, and Dr. Obeid says many will receive one each year. But some guidelines state, including the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s, recommend every other year. Your best bet is to speak with your healthcare team.

He shares that some people have a higher risk of breast cancer and may benefit from earlier screenings and other imaging, like a breast MRI, along with a mammogram. A few of the factors that increase your breast cancer risk include:

• Family history, including a first-degree relative
• Inherited gene mutations such as BRCA1 or BRCA2.
• Dense breast tissue

2. Pap smears and testing for high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV)

Dr. Cohen stresses that women should undergo regular Pap smear screening and testing for high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). He says that most screening guidelines recommend screening for cervical cancer every three to five years for normal-risk individuals. Routine screenings stop after you turn 65, unless you’ve had a high-risk abnormal Pap.

And good news: “Self-testing has started to become available, and, in the future, not all women will always need to go to a gynecologist for screening,” he states.

3. Colonoscopy

“Colonoscopy, famously, requires a full-day prep, which requires keeping a clear liquid diet and drinking a fair amount of laxative mixed with Gatorade,” Dr. Cohen shares.

Famous is an understatement, but it could save your life. “While no one likes the prep, the test itself is more than manageable as it is performed under sedation,” he says, adding it’s important to use a testing center with a qualified anesthesiologist. “If there are no polyps found, patients often do not have to have another colonoscopy for 10 years.”

Dr. Cohen explains that recent recommendations have moved the starting age for colonoscopies from 50 to 45 because of the increase in colorectal cancer in younger people in recent years. People with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) and other genetic conditions, like Lynch syndrome, will undergo more regular colonoscopies.

Related: Oncologists Say This Kitchen Staple May Be Riskier Than You Think

4. Low-dose CT scan (LDCT)

Dr. Gosain shares that this test screens for early-stage lung cancer, explaining, “You lie on a table that moves through a donut-shaped scanner while X-ray images are captured.”

Generally, he says people who qualify for these screenings will start at age 50. The USPSTF recommends annual LDCT screenings for people ages 50 to 80 with a 20-pack-year smoking history. They should either currently smoke or have quit in the last 15 years.

“Pack-years are calculated by multiplying packs smoked per day by years smoked—so one pack a day for 20 years, or two packs a day for 10 years, both equal 20 pack-years,” Dr. Gosain confirms.

5. PSA blood test

Dr. Gosain notes that this test screens for elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The results can flag prostate cancer or other prostate conditions.

“[It’s] a simple blood draw,” he explains. “Your doctor may also perform a digital rectal exam (DRE) as part of prostate screening, which is a brief physical examination of the prostate through the rectal wall.”

The American Cancer Society recommends that men with average risk begin discussing PSA screening with their doctor at age 50. But if you have high-risk factors, like a first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 65, you’ll want to start that conversation sooner: Age 45. Higher-risk men will undergo annual screenings. Average-risk men will have screenings every two to four years.

6. Full-body skin exams

These exams are important for catching skin cancer, which is typically very treatable if caught early. “Most dermatologists and oncologists recommend annual full-body exams for anyone with risk factors and monthly skin self-exams for everyone starting in their 20s,” Dr. Gosain explains.

He says you’ll benefit most from regular professional screenings if you have:

• A personal or family history of melanoma
• A history of prior skin cancers
• Fair skin that burns easily
• Light-colored eyes
• Significant cumulative sun exposure
• Large number of moles. 

“Full-body skin exams screen for suspicious moles, lesions or changes in the skin that may indicate melanoma or other skin cancers,” Dr. Gosain says. “A dermatologist does a visual examination of your skin from head to toe. Suspicious spots may be biopsied at the same visit.”

That way, you can have instant peace of mind—or take quick action to snuff out skin cancer.

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Related: The One Thing Oncologists Wish People Would Stop Storing in Their Fridge

Sources:

• Dr. Jules Cohen, MD, a medical oncologist at the Stony Brook Cancer Center in New York
• Dr. Rohit Gosain, MD, the co-host of The Oncology Brothers
• Dr. Elias Obeid, MD, the medical director of Hackensack Meridian Hennessy Institute for Cancer Prevention and Applied Molecular Medicine
• Breast Cancer: Screening. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
• Cervical Cancer: Screening. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
• Screening for Colorectal Cancer. CDC.
• Lung Cancer: Screening. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
• American Cancer Society Recommendations for Prostate Cancer Early Detection. American Cancer Society.