[Click! Health] June 21 'Cancer Prevention Day'... How to Prevent Cancer

Smoking, Food, Infection, and Drinking Cited as Main Causes
Avoid Tobacco and Alcohol as Much as Possible... Do Not Eat Burnt Meat
Some Carcinogenic Viruses Can Be Prevented by Vaccination

Last August, at the Seoul Metro Museum of Art located in Gyeongbokgung Station, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an exhibition of records on South Korea's anti-smoking advertisements was held, displaying records including anti-smoking ads conducted over the past 20 years. This exhibition was organized to showcase the history of anti-smoking advertisements, from the early ads starting in 2001 to major ads and slogans by era, as well as recent ads raising awareness about electronic cigarettes, aiming to promote a culture of smoking cessation. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

March 21st is Cancer Prevention Day. Established as a legal commemorative day in 2006, the reason for setting it on March 21st is related to the characteristics of cancer prevention and treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that one-third of cancers are preventable, one-third can be completely cured through early diagnosis and early treatment, and the remaining one-third of cancer patients can achieve relief with appropriate treatment. Inspired by this, March 21st, symbolizing '3-2-1,' was designated as Cancer Prevention Day. Ahead of Cancer Prevention Day, we explored questions related to cancer and its prevention methods with the National Cancer Center.

To prevent cancer, it is first necessary to understand the factors that cause cancer. The causes of cancer are known to be 30% smoking, 30% diet, 20% infections, and about 5% alcohol. Avoiding these major causes is important for cancer prevention.

First, smoking, the biggest cause, should be avoided not only in terms of direct smoking but also secondhand smoke, and electronic cigarettes also contain carcinogens. While traditional cigarettes involve lighting tobacco and inhaling the smoke, the recently popular heated tobacco products use a battery to heat the tobacco to about 300 degrees Celsius and inhale the aerosol. However, electronic cigarettes also contain carcinogens, and their harmfulness is estimated to be about 65% that of conventional cigarettes. Nevertheless, since they are equally harmful, the National Cancer Center emphasized, "It's like drinking poison diluted in water and thinking, 'Isn't this okay?'"

Next, diet accounts for about 30% of cancer causes. First, burnt food should be avoided. While scorched rice crust (nurungji) is acceptable, burnt meat should not be eaten. Burnt meat contains a potent carcinogen called benzo[a]pyrene, which can cause stomach cancer. Additionally, salty foods can cause colorectal cancer, so they should be eaten in moderation, and red meat can also cause colorectal cancer, so it should not be consumed excessively. Eating plenty of vegetables is also beneficial for cancer prevention.

Infections are also considered to account for about 20% of cancer causes. Hepatitis B and C viruses cause liver cancer, and Hepatitis B virus can be prevented through vaccination. Although there is no vaccine yet for Hepatitis C virus, a cure has been developed. Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer and is commonly transmitted through sexual contact. This can also be prevented through vaccination. Helicobacter pylori bacteria can cause stomach cancer. If Helicobacter pylori is detected during a gastroscopy, eradication therapy with antibiotics for 1 to 2 weeks can prevent stomach cancer. The National Cancer Center explained that while eradication therapy is essential when stomach ulcers are present, there is a need for consensus on what to do when ulcers are absent.

National Cancer Center exterior view
[Photo by National Cancer Center]

Alcohol should also be avoided for cancer prevention. The National Cancer Center emphasized that the saying "a small amount of alcohol is good for health" is completely outdated. Alcohol can cause oral cancer, pharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and stomach cancer, so it is best not to drink if possible. An analysis of alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality showed that people who drink small amounts of alcohol have higher mortality rates compared to those who do not drink at all, and the more they drink, the mortality rate increases linearly. Accordingly, WHO declared that "not drinking any alcohol is the healthiest choice," abolishing the previous concept of 'moderate drinking,' and the National Cancer Center also revised its top 10 cancer prevention guidelines from 'limit alcohol to one or two drinks per day' to 'avoid even small amounts of alcohol for cancer prevention' since 2016.