Cancer Reform Strategy - NHS Cancer Screening Programmes

33Chapter 2:Preventing cancerChapter Summary●●●●●●●Over half of all cancers are potentially preventable, with smoking being the single largestpreventable cause of death;The fall in smoking prevalence over the past decade is attributable in part to the introductionof a comprehensive tobacco strategy;The introduction of smokefree legislation should be seen as a launch pad for further action.The government will consult on further initiatives in Spring 2008;Obesity is now the most important preventable risk factor for cancer in non-smokers.A cross-government strategy to tackle cancer will be published shortly;The incidence of skin cancers is rising. The government will increase funding to raiseawareness of the dangers of over exposure to sunlight and is considering the need forregulation of the sunbed industry;Vaccination to prevent cervical cancer will start in 2008; andNew initiatives to strengthen research into prevention of cancer are underway.Introduction2.1 Over half of all cancers could be preventedif people adopted healthy lifestyles such as 11 :●●●●●●Stopping smoking;Avoiding obesity;Eating a healthy diet;Undertaking a moderate level of physicalactivity;Avoiding an excessive alcohol intake; andAvoiding excessive exposure to sunlight.2.2 Action to increase awareness of these riskfactors and encourage people to adopt healthylifestyles is therefore a crucial part of thegovernment’s strategy to tackle cancer.2.3 Vaccination now presents a furtheropportunity in cancer prevention, specifically forcervical cancer. As announced in October 2007,the government is introducing a nationalvaccination programme for young girls againstthe human papillomavirus. This will protectagainst the strains of the virus which causearound seven out of ten cases of cervical cancer.It is hoped that the vaccination programme willsave around 400 lives a year.Awareness of the risk factorsfor cancer2.4 Public awareness of the main preventablerisk factors for cancer is poor. A recent surveyundertaken by Cancer Research UK’s Reduce the