Experts estimate that as many as 70% of all cancer cases can be prevented. Because cancer takes a long time to develop, sometimes as long as 5 or 10 years, cancer prevention practices can stop cancer from starting or can stop it in its tracks once it has begun. Cancer prevention can significantly decrease the enormous toll that this disease takes on Americans every year.

Cancer is the result of a complex mixture of factors: lifestyle, heredity, and environment. You cannot control your heredity, but by reducing high-risk behaviors—smoking, alcohol abuse, sun exposure, eating habits, and a lack of physical activity—you can significantly decrease your chance of developing cancer. One-third of all cancer deaths are tobacco-related, and another one-third of all cancers are associated with diet, nutrition, and a lack of physical activity.

Chemoprevention is the use of drugs, vitamins, or other agents to prevent or delay the development, progression, or recurrence of cancer. Current research suggests that some standard drugs, as well as newer agents, may help prevent many hard-to-treat types of cancer, including advanced breast cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. This emerging field also is showing promise in helping some people who are predisposed to cancer due to heredity or lifestyle.

Below are some useful sources of cancer prevention information.