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March is colon and endometrial (uterine) cancer awareness month.

Did you know that approximately 90% of colorectal cancers are thought to be preventable?

Did you know that uterine cancer is the most common cancer of a woman’s reproductive system?

Don’t miss an upcoming program about colon and endometrial cancer on Tuesday, March 19 and Thursday, March 21 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Elm Garden Cafeteria at Pennsylvania Hospital.

Meet with and speak to health care professionals to learn more about colon and uterine cancer prevention.

Topics discussed will include:

• Risk factors for colon and uterine cancer as well as signs and symptoms to look for
• Colon Cancer Screening: facts and myths
• Nutrition: foods to eat that reduce your risk for colon and uterine cancer
• Genetics: how your family history affects your risk for colon and/or uterine cancer
• Prevention: what steps you can take today to reduce your risk.

Register for the 2013 CANPrevent Colorectal Cancer Conference

The CANPrevent Colorectal Cancer Conference is free and open to the public. Come and learn the latest information on colorectal screening and managing the genetic risk for you and your family.
Gain knowledge and take action by getting important information from our experts. Breakfast will be provided.

Date: Friday, March 22
Time: 7:30 am to 10:30 am
Location: Hilton Hotel, 4200 City Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA

Register for this free conference about colorectal cancer prevention here. 

March is uterine, or endometrial, cancer awareness month.

Uterine cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer accounting for 6 percent of all cancers among women in the United States.
The most common type of uterine cancer starts in the lining
of the uterus, or uterine wall, called the endometrium. This is why uterine cancer is also commonly referred to as endometrial cancer.

Nutrition plays a role in the prevention of various gynecological cancers.

The World Cancer Research Fund along with the American Institute for Cancer Research analyzed research on nutrition and its role in cancer and published the “Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective."

The recommendations for the general public are as follows:

• Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight.
• Be physically active as part of everyday life.
• Limit consumption of energy-dense foods.  Avoid sugary drinks.
• Eat mostly foods of plant origin.
• Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat.
• Limit alcoholic drinks.
• Limit consumption of salt.
• Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone.

This report analyzes the evidence by cancer type including endometrial, or uterine, cancer.

Nutrition to prevent uterine cancer

For endometrial cancer, a high percentage of body fat as well as weight gain in the adult years may increase the risk of endometrial cancer.

So clearly at the top on your priority is weight management and just as your mother said “eat your vegetables."

The two work hand in hand as well as vegetables are a very high fiber, low calorie food which can provide cancer fighting compounds and assist with the feeling of fullness.  Easy ways to incorporate vegetables in your diet are:

• Breakfast: Top your cereal off with berries or make a spinach omelet.
• Lunch: Layer sandwiches with greens, tomatoes and cucumber.  Have raw vegetables on the side instead of chips.
• Dinner: always include a colorful salad and aim to fill half your dinner plate with non-starchy vegetables like steamed asparagus, broccoli and carrots.
• Snacks: Try baby carrots, sugar snaps peas and sliced red peppers dipped into hummus.

Continue following this blog for more recipes with cancer fighting properties.

Debra DeMille, MS, RD, CSO is a nutritional counselor at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center.  Debra has worked at Pennsylvania Hospital since 1988 with the last 12 years specializing in oncology.  Debra guides individuals receiving chemotherapy and radiation as well as addressing survivorship issues including the use of Integrative therapies.  She conducts cooking programs and group counseling sessions for cancer survivors. 

The majority of cancers that occur in the body of the uterus (womb) are endometrial cancers. The endometrium is the lining of the uterus. Endometrial cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women with over 320,000 cases diagnosed, globally.

Fortunately, the overall survival rate for endometrial cancer is relatively high, at about 69% at the five-year mark.

This disease produces symptoms at earlier stages than other cancers, which leads to an early diagnosis. One early symptom of endometrial cancer is spotting after menopause. This symptom in particular may be overlooked by women as a part of menopause, but it should not be ignored, even if it is just a drop.

The risk of endometrial cancer increases with age, with most incidences diagnosed after menopause. While we can’t stop ourselves from aging we can prevent the development of endometrial cancer, based upon the evidence from the Continuous Update Project (CUP). We can prevent 4 in 10 cases of endometrial cancer by being a healthy weight and being physically active.

Want to lower your risk, but don’t know where to start? Here are 7 keys to making healthy changes that last from AICR:

1. Focus on individual changes. Studies show that choosing one or two behaviors to work on helps make those changes stick. For example, personally deliver a message to a co-worker instead of emailing them to increase the steps you take in a day.
2. Ask for help. Your doctor can refer you to a registered dietitian (RD) and a certified exercise physiologist or sign up for AICR’S New American Plate Challenge a 12-week interactive weight loss program. This 12-week challenge offers 3 tiers of support. The free web version offers weekly emails with challenge information and weight loss strategies, access to online recipes, activity tips and a participant sharing forum.
3. Go public. Set a specific goal for behavior change and tell others about it!
4. Record  your progress. Make adjustments in your plan. Many websites or apps like Myfitnesspal are free and are designed to track your progress overtime.
5. Treat yourself. Give yourself something you really enjoy when you reach a milestone on the way to your goal, such as a pedicure after running your first 5k.
6. Accept setbacks. When attempting to make changes in your life, setbacks will occur. Developing a plan to anticipate and deal with setbacks will help you work through them without derailing your behavior change program.
7. Be patient with yourself and your progress. Mark Twain once said, “The only person who likes change is a wet baby." By making gradual changes you are much more likely to keep them in the long run.

Carly Roop RD, CSO, is a registered dietitian at the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine Pennsylvania Hospital. Dietitians at the Abramson Cancer Center provide educational programs about nutrition that are open to patients as well as the community.

Emily Ko, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist who specializes in endometrial cancer treatment. In this video, she shares her treatment philosophy with us, and how cancer treatment at the Abramson Cancer Center focuses on treatments for the whole person - not just the cancer.