The Cancer Talk

Why Have the Cancer Talk?

Welcome to your fully loaded info package, designed to educate & enlighten you so that you can prepare yourself to have the potentially life-saving conversation about early detection.

So What Are You Going To Be Talking About, Anyway? Read On…

Family History & Risk Factors
Environmental Risk Factors
Earliest Warning Signs
Diagnostics
Diet & Exercise

It’s so important for you to talk to your parents about where the cancer exists in your family, because it keeps you in the know about what’s normal and what’s not!

Here are a few questions you can ask to get to the bottom of your family cancer history.

What kinds of cancer do we have in our family history?

Once you have the answers, you can check out our Cancer Cheat Sheets to find out more about the early warning signs of the cancers your family may be at risk for.

Family history teaches you a lot about your genetic risk factors, but that’s only half the picture. They say you can’t choose your family (or your genetics), but you sure as hell can choose a lifestyle that decreases your cancer risk factors.


Smoking, anyone? Quitting decreases your risk factors for so many cancers, including lung cancer.	Is your parent or loved one is a major carnivore? Adding fruits and veggies to their diet can help decrease their risk of colon cancer!	Shedding a few extra pounds can help your mom or dad cut down their risk of developing liver, breast, and kidney cancer.	If your aunt knows how to mix a cocktail a little too well, she should know that cutting down on alcohol consumption also cuts down her risk of liver, breast, and throat cancer.

Need some more educational backup? Again – we’re not going to leave you hanging! Once you have info on what kind of cancers you might be at higher risk for, make sure you and your loved ones go over our cheat sheets so you’re well versed on the earliest warning signs and symptoms that may rear their ugly heads in the very early stages of cancer. Once you know what to look for, you’ll know what’s normal, what’s slightly strange, and what is worth a trip to the doctor.

Take a read and familiarize yourself with the cancers that may run in your family, or that you may just be interested in.

Enter the diagnostic test, an oh-so-important piece of the early detection puzzle! We already told you to read up on those early warning signs, so if something does feel off, you or your loved one can book an appointment with your doctor, stat!

Super common annual tests include mammograms, colonoscopies, pap tests, and prostate exams. Emphasis here is on the word “annual”, this isn’t just a one-time thing!

Make sure the ones you love are on top of their diagnostic tests each and every year. Need help in that department? We’ve made it as easy as possible, check out the flow chart below!

Click on the image to enlarge the flow chart

What you put in your body and the activities you choose to partake in make a huge difference to your health, and to your cancer risk. Keeping fit and healthy is always a great decision, and not just because it will get you back into your skinny jeans. You can drastically reduce your cancer risk by exercising to maintain a healthy body weight and eating delicious fruits and veggies and whole grain fibres. So what are you waiting for?

Get those butts in gear, and take your parents and loved ones along for the ride! Walking, biking, dancing, these are all great ways to get in motion and decrease your cancer risk with your family members.