Cancer Prevention: Are We Doing Enough?

Cancer is highly prevalent disease and one of the leading causes of global morbidity and mortality, however, about 50% of all cancer cases can be prevented through healthy living and policies that protect health. Stress, which has become an integral part of modern lifestyles, is considered as a hallmark of cancer. Chronic stress-related maladaptive response, immunosuppression, and inflammation – all directly increase the risk for the cancer development. Chronic stress also indirectly contributes by promoting unhealthy behaviours, such as overeating, smoking, drinking and hormonal imbalance – all of which induce inflammation promoting cancer development. Inflammation is also caused by many other factors, such as bacterial and viral infections, autoimmune diseases, and chemical exposure. This review is about stress and lifestyle-related behaviors and mechanisms that increase the risk for developing different types of cancer, and policies and strategies to educate people in early ages to take mindful decisions which can prevent the development of cancer in time.