Lifestyle and Cancer Prevention

Abstract Cancer prevention is the most cost-effective, long-term strategy for the control of cancer. 1 , 2 It is now well established that approximately one-third to one-half of all adult cancers occurring in Western populations can be prevented through the adoption of “healthy lifestyles.” A comprehensive view of a healthy lifestyle includes adherence to published cancer prevention recommendations that seek to eliminate or minimize exposure to lifestyle risk factors, and the use of screening and early detection tests as well as molecular preventive agents (e.g., aspirin, tamoxifen, human papillomavirus [HPV] vaccine) when warranted. This chapter focuses on the epidemiology of lifestyle risk factors and their associated interventions, as well as on the use of molecular preventive agents. Screening and early detection are addressed in another chapter.