Cancer Prevention: Evidence-Based Risk Reduction

Cancer prevention is one of the highest-leverage activities in longevity medicine. An estimated 40% of cancer cases in the United States are attributable to modifiable risk factors, including tobacco use, excess body weight, physical inactivity, poor diet, alcohol consumption, sun exposure, and infections. This means that optimizing these factors represents a profound reduction in lifetime cancer risk.

Physical activity is among the most consistently cancer-preventive behaviors across multiple cancer types. Regular exercise reduces risk for colon, breast, endometrial, and bladder cancers, among others, through mechanisms including reduced circulating insulin and IGF-1, lower sex hormone levels, improved immune surveillance, reduced adipose tissue inflammation, and faster gastrointestinal transit time (reducing carcinogen contact with colonocytes). The dose-response relationship is continuous — more is better, with no ceiling observed in epidemiological studies.

Diet quality exerts substantial effects on cancer risk. High fiber intake consistently associates with reduced colorectal cancer risk. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower) contain sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol, which induce phase II detoxification enzymes and reduce carcinogen activation. The Mediterranean diet pattern as a whole is associated with 13% reduced overall cancer risk in meta-analyses. Conversely, processed meat consumption is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the IARC.

Early detection is transformative — most cancers are highly treatable when caught early. The Galleri multi-cancer early detection test can identify signals from 50+ cancer types in a single blood draw. Colonoscopy removes precancerous polyps before they progress. Low-dose CT lung screening in high-risk individuals (current/former heavy smokers) is one of the few cancer screening tests with proven all-cause mortality benefit.