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The Power of Prevention – Healthier Habits Can Prevent More Than Half of All Cancers
Dr. Peter Garrett discusses the power of prevention and how healthier habits can prevent more than half of all cancers.
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Learn more about Peter Garrett, MD
Peter Garrett, MD
Peter Garrett, MD is a Radiation Oncologist and Medical Director for the Franciscan Health Cancer Center in Indianapolis and Mooresville discusses The Power of Prevention – Healthier Habits Can Prevent More Than Half of All Cancers.Learn more about Peter Garrett, MD
Transcription:
Scott Webb (Host): In 2020, more than 1.8 million people in the US are expected to be diagnosed with cancer but did you know that half of all cancers are preventable? Joining me today to tell us how we can all reduce our risk of getting cancer is Dr. Peter Garrett, Medical Director of Cancer Services at Franciscan Health Cancer Center, Indianapolis. This is the Franciscan Health Doc Pod. I’m Scott Webb. So, Doctor, thanks so much for joining me today. Let’s start here. What can we all do to reduce our risk of getting cancer?
Peter Garrett, MD (Guest): Well there’s a lot of things you can do. And in fact, almost half of all cancers are preventable. So, an individual can take personal action and most of the time when we think about causes of cancer, we think about cigarette smoking and certainly that’s the number one, close to 19% of cancers are caused by that. But in fact, a lack of a healthy lifestyle otherwise is almost equal to cigarette smoking. So, there are a lot of healthy choices one can make.
Host: So, when we talk about healthy lifestyle, let’s talk about healthy weight. And I know that’s the number one goal of cancer patients. So, what tips do you have for eating right?
Dr. Garrett: Well you are right in that. A healthy weight is important in decreasing your risk of cancer. And we see that patients or people that are overweight have a higher risk of cancer but also if they develop cancer, they tolerate treatment very poorly. So, the things that can be done are number one diet. There’s a lot of good foods around and it’s important to be moderate in all the things we do so it’s fun to have some good sugary foods occasionally but modifying your diet by decreasing the amount of red meat you take in, the amount of fats, trying to increase fruits and vegetables in moderation, all will decrease the risk of a cancer. Along with that, aside from nutrition and dietary intake, the other thing you can do is exercise. Not as much fun as eating. But certainly as important and there’s been a lot of data now that patients and people that exercise regularly, you don’t have to be running a marathon, but just walking, lifting light weights, whatever you like to do will decrease your risk of cancer considerably.
I think the issue from the standpoint of weight though is that it’s a lot easier not to gain the weight than it is to take it off. If you look at calories burned, you’ve got to do a lot of exercise if you are eating a chocolate bar. So, it’s better not to eat the chocolate bar to start with.
Host: You mentioned tobacco earlier being the number one cause. So, let’s talk about alcohol, tobacco, drug use. What role do they play in getting cancer?
Dr. Garrett: Well certainly historically, cigarette use specifically, has been the number one cause of cancer. We see a lot of patients with lung cancer caused by smoking. And I do a lot of treatment for head and neck malignancies and a lot of those are also caused by smoking as well as other cancers. But there’s not just smoking. I think when we look at things that we’re doing, we have changed a little bit, we meaning society to try and go away from smoking a little bit but now, there’s been a big trend to use E-cigarettes and there’s a lot of issues with that. Especially they have been marketed towards young people with flavors et cetera and I think that the long term implications for cancer still aren’t known for those and I really encourage people not to get into that. The other thing we see, is smokeless tobacco. And over the years, it’s been quite sad. I’ve seen a lot of patients who start smokeless tobacco when they are young, especially athletes who – baseball players are a prime example and they put a pouch in their jaw and their cheek, and I can see exactly where that’s been sitting. And that’s where cancer develops.
So, really, there’s multiple ways to use tobacco and there’s not one that’s really safe from a cancer standpoint.
Host: It’s pretty difficult to avoid the sun especially during the summer. So, what suggestions do you have to enjoy the summer weather without increasing our risk of getting cancer?
Dr. Garrett: Well we all want to enjoy the sun especially after being locked inside pretty much with this COVID crisis that’s been going on. And there’s almost five million people in this country a year that develops skin cancers. Without getting too personal, I’m one of them. And I had a lot of sun exposure as a kid. So, I things you can do. We want to enjoy the outdoors, there’s no question about it. try to be careful particularly between 10 and 2 when that’s when the sun is at its strongest. Use sunscreen liberally and often. We have got to be careful when we’re out – we tend to put it on and then kind of forget about it especially if we are in the pool and you really have to watch it for kids. there’s clothing now you can get that acts as a sunscreen if you are going to be out a lot, if you are playing golf of doing some outdoor activity, that can certainly help you also quite a bit. The other thing I really advise people to be careful about are tanning beds. And I’ve seen a number of situations over the last couple of years where people have their own tanning beds or go to tanning beds and clearly have developed melanoma which is the most aggressive type of skin cancer related to that.
So, we can prevent a lot of skin cancers but still have fun in the sun. Just be careful, wear a hat, stay in the shade if you can. But you have to live your life and have fun too. So, just use appropriate precautions.
Host: Yeah, those are all great suggestions and you’re so right, when it comes to kids, like getting them to understand the need to reapply. It’s a process and it can be a little bit laborious. But when you weigh that out, especially for adults, when you weigh that against cancer, it seems like it’s worth a few minutes that it takes to put it on.
Dr. Garrett: Well I think it’s important with kids especially. It’s like anything, if it becomes kind of a routine, they just take it, that’s the way it goes. One of my children was a big tennis player, she’s an adult now and she played regularly but she would put sunscreen on every hour. Even though she was in the sun a lot playing tennis, her skin looks great and she’s really, I think avoided significant problems because of that. So, again, if you starts kids young like anything it’s just part of the routine, don’t make a big deal about it. And just apply it regularly. Then I think they are going to - it’s an investment for things that could happen 20 and 30 years down the road.
Host: That’s a great way to think of it. It really is an investment in your future. Let’s talk about radon and the risks of radon and what you recommend that residents purchase. Should they have radon test kits in their homes?
Dr. Garrett: Well that’s a really good point because we tend to forget about that. And certainly, in Indiana, radon is an issue and is a cause of lung cancer. Not as much as smoking but certainly a significant amount of lung cancers we see are in people that don’t smoke. So, anyone who has a basement in their house, should get a radon test. And most of the time, you’ll find that it’s okay. But if the radon is elevated, and there’s guidelines to what level is acceptable, it’s not that expensive and pretty easy to mitigate it. And certainly as anybody whose bought a house in the last ten or fifteen years knows, you’re going to get a radon test and if the radon is elevated, you’re going to have to make some modifications just to sell your home. But again, being proactive for your own sake, and especially kids. We had a finished basement in our home and our kids spent lots of time in there as they were growing up and we had our radon tested and it was elevated. So, we had a system put in that still functions today, 15 years later. So, it’s an easy fix, something we don’t always think about.
Host: You know Doctor, as we wrap up today, living a healthy lifestyle is a great plan for all of us, all the time of course but maybe it’s especially helpful in reducing the risk of cancer. So, maybe you can speak to that.
Dr. Garrett: Well there’s no question about it. I have done this a long time, I’m a radiation oncologist by profession. I’ve seen what happens to patients and families with cancer. We’ve made great strides in cure rates over the last ten to fifteen years and that’s great, but I also see the opportunity. As I am in the later part of my career, my goal is to push cancer prevention. I always tell people I’m trying to put myself out of business and believe me, I’d like nothing better than that.
Host: Such a great way to end. So, Doctor, thanks so much for your time and your expertise today. Really appreciate it and stay well. To schedule a cancer screening, take a cancer health risk assessment or request a second opinion, visit FranciscanHealth.org/CancerCare. We hope you found this podcast to be helpful and informative. This is the Franciscan Health Doc Pod. I’m Scott Webb. Thanks for listening.
Scott Webb (Host): In 2020, more than 1.8 million people in the US are expected to be diagnosed with cancer but did you know that half of all cancers are preventable? Joining me today to tell us how we can all reduce our risk of getting cancer is Dr. Peter Garrett, Medical Director of Cancer Services at Franciscan Health Cancer Center, Indianapolis. This is the Franciscan Health Doc Pod. I’m Scott Webb. So, Doctor, thanks so much for joining me today. Let’s start here. What can we all do to reduce our risk of getting cancer?
Peter Garrett, MD (Guest): Well there’s a lot of things you can do. And in fact, almost half of all cancers are preventable. So, an individual can take personal action and most of the time when we think about causes of cancer, we think about cigarette smoking and certainly that’s the number one, close to 19% of cancers are caused by that. But in fact, a lack of a healthy lifestyle otherwise is almost equal to cigarette smoking. So, there are a lot of healthy choices one can make.
Host: So, when we talk about healthy lifestyle, let’s talk about healthy weight. And I know that’s the number one goal of cancer patients. So, what tips do you have for eating right?
Dr. Garrett: Well you are right in that. A healthy weight is important in decreasing your risk of cancer. And we see that patients or people that are overweight have a higher risk of cancer but also if they develop cancer, they tolerate treatment very poorly. So, the things that can be done are number one diet. There’s a lot of good foods around and it’s important to be moderate in all the things we do so it’s fun to have some good sugary foods occasionally but modifying your diet by decreasing the amount of red meat you take in, the amount of fats, trying to increase fruits and vegetables in moderation, all will decrease the risk of a cancer. Along with that, aside from nutrition and dietary intake, the other thing you can do is exercise. Not as much fun as eating. But certainly as important and there’s been a lot of data now that patients and people that exercise regularly, you don’t have to be running a marathon, but just walking, lifting light weights, whatever you like to do will decrease your risk of cancer considerably.
I think the issue from the standpoint of weight though is that it’s a lot easier not to gain the weight than it is to take it off. If you look at calories burned, you’ve got to do a lot of exercise if you are eating a chocolate bar. So, it’s better not to eat the chocolate bar to start with.
Host: You mentioned tobacco earlier being the number one cause. So, let’s talk about alcohol, tobacco, drug use. What role do they play in getting cancer?
Dr. Garrett: Well certainly historically, cigarette use specifically, has been the number one cause of cancer. We see a lot of patients with lung cancer caused by smoking. And I do a lot of treatment for head and neck malignancies and a lot of those are also caused by smoking as well as other cancers. But there’s not just smoking. I think when we look at things that we’re doing, we have changed a little bit, we meaning society to try and go away from smoking a little bit but now, there’s been a big trend to use E-cigarettes and there’s a lot of issues with that. Especially they have been marketed towards young people with flavors et cetera and I think that the long term implications for cancer still aren’t known for those and I really encourage people not to get into that. The other thing we see, is smokeless tobacco. And over the years, it’s been quite sad. I’ve seen a lot of patients who start smokeless tobacco when they are young, especially athletes who – baseball players are a prime example and they put a pouch in their jaw and their cheek, and I can see exactly where that’s been sitting. And that’s where cancer develops.
So, really, there’s multiple ways to use tobacco and there’s not one that’s really safe from a cancer standpoint.
Host: It’s pretty difficult to avoid the sun especially during the summer. So, what suggestions do you have to enjoy the summer weather without increasing our risk of getting cancer?
Dr. Garrett: Well we all want to enjoy the sun especially after being locked inside pretty much with this COVID crisis that’s been going on. And there’s almost five million people in this country a year that develops skin cancers. Without getting too personal, I’m one of them. And I had a lot of sun exposure as a kid. So, I things you can do. We want to enjoy the outdoors, there’s no question about it. try to be careful particularly between 10 and 2 when that’s when the sun is at its strongest. Use sunscreen liberally and often. We have got to be careful when we’re out – we tend to put it on and then kind of forget about it especially if we are in the pool and you really have to watch it for kids. there’s clothing now you can get that acts as a sunscreen if you are going to be out a lot, if you are playing golf of doing some outdoor activity, that can certainly help you also quite a bit. The other thing I really advise people to be careful about are tanning beds. And I’ve seen a number of situations over the last couple of years where people have their own tanning beds or go to tanning beds and clearly have developed melanoma which is the most aggressive type of skin cancer related to that.
So, we can prevent a lot of skin cancers but still have fun in the sun. Just be careful, wear a hat, stay in the shade if you can. But you have to live your life and have fun too. So, just use appropriate precautions.
Host: Yeah, those are all great suggestions and you’re so right, when it comes to kids, like getting them to understand the need to reapply. It’s a process and it can be a little bit laborious. But when you weigh that out, especially for adults, when you weigh that against cancer, it seems like it’s worth a few minutes that it takes to put it on.
Dr. Garrett: Well I think it’s important with kids especially. It’s like anything, if it becomes kind of a routine, they just take it, that’s the way it goes. One of my children was a big tennis player, she’s an adult now and she played regularly but she would put sunscreen on every hour. Even though she was in the sun a lot playing tennis, her skin looks great and she’s really, I think avoided significant problems because of that. So, again, if you starts kids young like anything it’s just part of the routine, don’t make a big deal about it. And just apply it regularly. Then I think they are going to - it’s an investment for things that could happen 20 and 30 years down the road.
Host: That’s a great way to think of it. It really is an investment in your future. Let’s talk about radon and the risks of radon and what you recommend that residents purchase. Should they have radon test kits in their homes?
Dr. Garrett: Well that’s a really good point because we tend to forget about that. And certainly, in Indiana, radon is an issue and is a cause of lung cancer. Not as much as smoking but certainly a significant amount of lung cancers we see are in people that don’t smoke. So, anyone who has a basement in their house, should get a radon test. And most of the time, you’ll find that it’s okay. But if the radon is elevated, and there’s guidelines to what level is acceptable, it’s not that expensive and pretty easy to mitigate it. And certainly as anybody whose bought a house in the last ten or fifteen years knows, you’re going to get a radon test and if the radon is elevated, you’re going to have to make some modifications just to sell your home. But again, being proactive for your own sake, and especially kids. We had a finished basement in our home and our kids spent lots of time in there as they were growing up and we had our radon tested and it was elevated. So, we had a system put in that still functions today, 15 years later. So, it’s an easy fix, something we don’t always think about.
Host: You know Doctor, as we wrap up today, living a healthy lifestyle is a great plan for all of us, all the time of course but maybe it’s especially helpful in reducing the risk of cancer. So, maybe you can speak to that.
Dr. Garrett: Well there’s no question about it. I have done this a long time, I’m a radiation oncologist by profession. I’ve seen what happens to patients and families with cancer. We’ve made great strides in cure rates over the last ten to fifteen years and that’s great, but I also see the opportunity. As I am in the later part of my career, my goal is to push cancer prevention. I always tell people I’m trying to put myself out of business and believe me, I’d like nothing better than that.
Host: Such a great way to end. So, Doctor, thanks so much for your time and your expertise today. Really appreciate it and stay well. To schedule a cancer screening, take a cancer health risk assessment or request a second opinion, visit FranciscanHealth.org/CancerCare. We hope you found this podcast to be helpful and informative. This is the Franciscan Health Doc Pod. I’m Scott Webb. Thanks for listening.