Reduce your risk
There's a lot you can do to reduce your risk of cancer – starting with living a healthy, active lifestyle.
Can cancer be prevented?
About 4 in 10 cancer cases can be prevented through healthy living and policies that protect the health of Canadians. The good news is you can reduce your risk of cancer right now. There’s no time like the present to start making positive lifestyle changes to feel better and live longer.
Make healthy choices
There's a lot you can do to reduce your risk of cancer – starting with living a healthy, active lifestyle. Making healthy choices can be easy, affordable and quick. You can take small but important steps to stay on the path of great health no matter what age you are. We're proud to present simple ways to reduce your risk of cancer.
Live smoke-free
The single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of cancer is to live smoke-free.
Have a healthy body weight
Besides living smoke-free, having a healthy body weight is one of the best things you can do to reduce cancer risk.
Move more, sit less
Not enough physical activity and too much sitting increases your cancer risk. Aim for 30 minutes of activity every day and take frequent, short breaks from sitting.
Limit alcohol
Drinking any type or amount of alcohol increases your risk of developing cancer. The less alcohol you drink, the more you reduce your risk.
How many cancers can be prevented?
Did you know that about 4 in 10 cancer cases in Canada can be prevented? It’s true. There are things we eat, drink, breathe and do that affect our cancer risk.
The ComPARe (Canadian Population Attributable Risk of Cancer) study found how many cancer cases we can prevent in the future by changing the world around us. This includes making healthy choices and protecting ourselves where we live, work and play.
If we act now, we can prevent thousands of cancer cases by the year 2042. It’s all about understanding what the risks are and taking action to protect ourselves in our everyday lives. We can reduce our exposure to cancer risk factors by changing the world around us.
The ComPARe (Canadian Population Attributable Risk of Cancer) study found how many cancer cases we can prevent in the future by changing the world around us. This includes making healthy choices and protecting ourselves where we live, work and play.
If we act now, we can prevent thousands of cancer cases by the year 2042. It’s all about understanding what the risks are and taking action to protect ourselves in our everyday lives. We can reduce our exposure to cancer risk factors by changing the world around us.
Make informed decisions
Follow these recommendations and help reduce your cancer risk.
Check your family history
Tell your doctor if any of your close relatives have ever been diagnosed with cancer.
Understand hormones
The birth control pill and hormone replacement therapy may increase your risk of cancer. Understand the risks and benefits.
Get vaccinated
Some viruses cause cancer. Check with your doctor about whether a hepatitis B or HPV vaccine is a good idea for you.
Be safe at work
Cancer-causing substances at work are responsible for a small percentage of cancers. Know your risk and protect yourself.
Know your environment
Learn how to reduce your exposure to cancer-causing substances (carcinogens).
Myths and controversies
Be cautious of any information obtained from unmonitored sources.
Discover our prevention programs
We recognize that making healthy behaviour changes can be difficult to achieve alone, that’s why we’re here to help. We have smoking cessation and health promotion programs for individuals, schools and workplaces.
Try our helpful tools
It's My Life!
It’s My Life! is an interactive, evidence-based tool. It teaches you how 16 factors affect your risk of getting cancer and how you can reduce your risk by making simple changes.
Try our helpful tools
SunSense fortune teller
The fortune teller is a fun resource for primary school age children that uses origami to create a trivia game with questions about SunSense practices. Instructions on how to assemble it are included.
Monthly tips
Want to reduce your risk of cancer, but don’t know where to start? We have 12 monthly suggestions with simple tips for each one to help you reduce your risk.
One Step at a Time: You Can Quit
This booklet is for people who smoke and may or may not be ready to quit.