Very often we know people died from cancer. As a result, we want to know how to prevent getting cancer. I read this article from BabaMail and I edited it for posting. 

What can you do to lower your risk and prevent cancer from stealing your life or the life of someone you love?

In order to conquer this disease, what you need is knowledge. Informing yourself of important cancer facts and understanding who is most at risk, as well as the factors that increase your cancer risk will reduce your risk significantly.

Here are 12 cancer facts you need to pay attention to.

1 Half of all Cancer and Cancer related deaths are preventable

Research suggests that only 5% of cancers are hereditary. This indicates that many cancers are caused by the lifestyle choices we make. The food we eat and our physical activity levels have a direct impact on our overall cancer risk.

2 Cancer is the one name that is assigned to more than 100 diseases

Cancer is a result of abnormal cells that multiply and spread out of control, damaging healthy cells along the way.

3 Environmental factors can increase your risk of Cancer

Factors such as pollution, heavy metal, toxicity and household cleaning products can increase your risk of cancer.

4 Smoking causes more than 90% of lung Cancer

Most lung cancers do not cause any symptoms until the cancer has spread. But some people with early lung cancer do notice symptoms like a cough that does not go away, chest pain that gets worse with deep breathing, coughing or laughing, weight loss and loss of appetite, and more. 

5 Less than 6 hours of sleep a night can increase your chance of Colon Cancer

Sleeping through the night provides many health benefits to the body. It is one of the most underestimated ways to keep your body strong and cancer-free.

6 On a global scale approximately 1 in every 8 deaths is caused by Cancer  

Cancer causes more deaths than malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS combined.

7 Breast Cancer is the leading cause of Cancer deaths among women

According to the National Cancer Institute, 232,340 female breast cancers and 2,240 male breast cancers are reported in the USA each year, as well as 39,620 deaths caused by the disease

8 Lung, stomach and prostate cancer are the most common diseases for which men and women are diagnosed

Research shows that survival rates for lung cancer are less than 2%.

9 Approximately 77% of all cancer diagnosed are found in people aged 55 or older
While anyone can develop cancer, the risk of getting it increases with age. Most cases tend to occur in middle-aged adults or older

10 Obesity increases your risk of cancer and affects your chances of survival should you be diagnosed with cancer.  

Studies indicate that the possible reason obesity is linked to cancer is because of increased levels of insulin and insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) which may help some cancers develop.
 

11 The number of detected shin cancer cases increases steadily every year

Though contrary to popular belief, sun exposure is actually good for you. Spending about 30 minutes of early morning or late afternoon sun on your hands and face is enough to get your recommended dose of vitamin D.

12 Healthy cells have a built-in ability to self-destruct to protect the rest of the body when damage is present   

This is known as apoptosis or 'cell suicide'.