New research suggests cancer may develop earlier than we thought but simple changes can help prevent it

"“Age is like the best thing we have, but it's a crude proxy for cancer risk. There are so many other things going into it,” Butala told Business Insider. His research points toward how to personalize cancer prevention and reduce risk by optimizing lifestyle habits like diet and exercise. “Behavior change is hard, but it's not like you need to be a superhuman to do this,” Butala said. “There's this positive message that change at any age can actually reduce your cancer risk a fair amount.”"

"To better understand why some people get cancer and others don't, Butala and colleagues from Stanford, Harvard, and other universities looked at potential risk factors for 21 of the most common cancers. They created a model to assess cancer risk over a lifetime based on a list of more than 100 factors ranging from drinking habits to medical history to over-the-counter medication and supplement use. A new study looked at 100 risk factors for cancer, ranging from supplement use to drinking habits."

"“What's beautiful about the model is that we actually can incorporate all these at onceand then quantify individual risk,” Butala said. They foun"

Cancer screening schedules based on age can be too late for people who develop cancer symptoms in their 20s or early 30s. A more tailored approach uses individualized risk assessment to estimate lifetime cancer risk and identify better prevention and early detection strategies. A model was built using more than 100 risk factors across 21 common cancers, including drinking habits, medical history, and use of over-the-counter medications and supplements. The model can incorporate many factors simultaneously and quantify individual risk. Lifestyle optimization, including diet and exercise, can reduce cancer risk, and behavior change can be effective at any age.

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