Diabetic And Had Fracture Of Neck Femur. What Are The Best Ways To Avoid Cancers And Detect Early?
Offlate i am hearing a lot about cancer and that toi many types of cancers.
Can you please advise what are the best ways to avoid cancer and how to detect early.
I have gone thru several fullbody healthcheckup packages but none include any cancer checkup or test package.
Can you advice how to prevent and how to detect early?
I am a 30 year old male and into sales job involving 2 days weekly travel with eating out. Pure vegetarian, non drinker and non smoker. Even do not touch pan, guthka etc. Dont take coffee and tea too.
Past medical history include diabetes since one year and fracture of neck of femur (fixed with 3 calculated screws) one year and back.
Regards
XXXXX
Your question is a very good one and I will work on providing you with some information and recommendations.
You are correct that we are hearing a lot more news about cancer. For you there are several things you can do or continue to minimize your cancer risk.
First it is essential that you continue to beat a very healthy lifestyle with adequate diet and healthy exercise. Diets which are high in fresh fruits and vegetables as well as fiber and low in saturated fats tend to be more associated with Decreased risk of developing cancer.
Of course avoiding smoking and minimizing excessive alcohol consumption is also important for minimizing cancer risk.
Another important piece of information is family history. If anyone in your family has been diagnosed with some type of cancer this may change the way your doctors recommend cancer screening and surveillance.
In your age group we do not have Specific screening tests which would be done. We do recommend that you perform a testicular exam to look for any changes. Testicular cancer tends to occur in younger males up to about age 40. It is still relatively rare but it is something we want to watch for. If you detect any changes you should bring this to the attention of your primary care doctor.
We don't have any indications for x-rays or imaging studies in your age group. When you turn 50 years old a colonoscopy will be recommended. This is our best screening test for colon cancer.
You maybe wondering about prostate cancer and this is something at this point that you need to discuss with your primary care doctor. Examination on a yearly basis with a prostate exam is important. Some doctors might also consider using a blood test to screen for elevated PSA Although fewer doctors are performing this blood test in recent years.
Again it is very important that you continue to lead a healthy active lifestyle with good exercise as well as Balanced diet. I realize that when you travel it is difficult to eat healthy food. Try to make extra efforts however even when traveling to eat healthy foods such as salads and vegetables.
Otherwise it appears that you are doing everything that we generally recommend to maintain optimal health and minimize any risk of cancer. No additional testing would be recommended in my opinion. Your doctor might recommend routine blood testing including complete blood count and metabolic profile at your annual physical which is reasonable as well.
Thanks again for sending your question. Congratulations on maintaining optimal health. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance in the future.
Dr Galamaga