The nation needs new strategies to prevent cancer and, when cancer occurs, to catch it at its earliest stages.  Smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and failure to get screened all contribute to the excess burden of cancer.  Failure to implement proven methods of cancer prevention leads to avoidable disease and death.  

The National Cancer Policy Board, in their report Fulfilling the Potential of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection, reviews the evidence that cancer incidence rates can be dramatically reduced and outlines a national strategy to realize the promise of cancer prevention and early detection.

The report examines:

• the extent to which the burden of cancer could be reduced through cancer prevention and early detection;
• the effectiveness of cancer screening methods and interventions to alter smoking, eating, and exercise habits;
• approaches to enhancing the potential benefits of proven interventions;
• a case study of screening for lung cancer, illustrating the problem of adopting new technology when the science is uncertain;
• professional education and training needs;
• federal and state programs that support cancer prevention and early detection; and
• research trends and opportunities.

The Board concludes that to save the most lives from cancer, health care providers, health plans, insurers, employers, policy makers, and researchers should be concentrating their resources on helping people to stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight and diet, exercise regularly, keep alcohol consumption at low to moderate levels, and get screened for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer. The health benefits of such behavioral changes extend beyond cancer to cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well. Such efforts may also help alleviate the disproportionate burden of cancer borne by members of racial and ethnic minority groups.