1. We can beat cancer
Awareness and Prevention Guide

2. Quick Facts Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide.
8.2 million people die from cancer every year.
More than one-third of those deaths are preventable.
If detected early, many cancers are treatable.
You can reduce your risk of getting cancer!

3. Factors that increase the risk of different types of cancer
Smoking – lung cancer, possibly other types of cancer also
Drinking alcohol – increased risk of many cancers of many cancer types
Increased body weight and not exercising
Ultraviolet light – skin cancer
Human papilloma virus – cervical cancer
Asbestos – mesothelioma (cancer in the membrane lining of the lungs)

4. What can you do?
Being overweight or obese increases the risk of 10 cancers:
Bowel Oesophagus Uterine Ovarian Pancreatic
Breast Kidney Liver Prostate Gallbladder
You can reduce the risk by:
Maintaining a healthy weight
Making physical activity part of your day

5. Smoking
Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer globally.
Quitting smoking will have a major positive impact on an individual’s health and that of their families and friends.
The good news is that quitting at any age is beneficial, increasing life expectancy and improving quality of life.

6. Alcohol Reducing alcohol consumption decreases the risk!
Alcohol is also strongly linked with an increased risk of multiple types of cancer, including:
Cancers of the mouth Pharynx Larynx
Oeasophagus Bowel Liver Breast
Reducing alcohol consumption decreases the risk!

7. Can you be ‘screened’ for cancer?
In the UK we have two ‘screening’ programmes to try to detect cancer early that are available to you:
Breast cancer – women aged between 50 and 70 are invited to have a breast X-ray every three years.
Bowel cancer – men and women aged are invited to take a simple test done at home every two years.

8. What else can you do? Total Fitness – Tuesdays 17.45 – 18.45
To help encourage and support staff to exercise, the following classes are free at Aberdeen Sports Village:
Total Fitness – Tuesdays – 18.45
Sports Conditioning – Thursdays – 18.20
Find our more on the University of Aberdeen’s Sports and Exercise Team’s website:

9. Some other things you could do
Vaccination against human papilloma virus available to reduce risk of cervical cancer – available to all girls aged 12-13
Protect your skin against ultraviolet light – by wearing T-shirt, hat, sunglasses and sun cream (the higher the factor, the better the protection)

10. We can beat cancer
We can. I can.