Cancer Awareness Month for September: Thyroid Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Previvor Week

September is thyroid and prostate cancer awareness month. Previvor week is also in September Be sure to subscribe to the Focus On Cancer blog and like the Abramson Cancer Center Facebook page for more information on thyroid and prostate cancer throughout the entire month, as well as Previvor week.

At a Glance: Thyroid Cancer

• There are four main types of thyroid cancer: Papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic thyroid cancer.
• Thyroid cancer is the fastest increasing cancer among men and women today. There is no known cure for advanced stage thyroid cancer, only treatments to help slow down its growth.
• If detected early, there is a very good prognosis so asking for a neck check while at the dentist and your general practitioner is very important.

Learn more about the treatment for thyroid cancer at the Abramson Cancer Center.

At a Glance: Prostate Cancer

• Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in men over 75, and is rarely found in men younger than 50.
• According to a recent study in Cancer Prevention Research journal, a high fiber diet can slow the progression of prostate cancer.
• Many older men have slow growing, low-volume prostate cancer that does not affect life expectancy because of how long the cancer takes to grow and become clinically important.

Learn more about the treatment for prostate cancer at the Abramson Cancer Center.

At a Glance: Previvor Week

• The term “cancer pre-vivor” arose in 2000 from a challenge on the website, FORCE, which stands for “Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered.”
• Previvors have unique needs from people with cancer such as active surveillance, testing and often need to make treatment decisions based on their risk for inherited cancer.
• The goal of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) Week and Previvor Day is to raise awareness about hereditary cancer.

Learn more about Previvor week at the Basser Research Center for BRCA.