Prevention and Healthy Living

Improving cancer prevention is part of the mission of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Cancer Prevention and risk-reduction strategies can greatly lower the physical, emotional, and financial burden of cancer and improve the overall health of cancer survivors, including lowering the risk of the cancer coming back or the formation of a second cancer.

Although the risk of developing cancer can be greatly reduced by avoiding risk factors, not all cancers are preventable. Review Cancer.Net's Cancer Types sections for more information about preventing specific types of cancer.

Much of the information in this section is adapted from the ASCO Curriculum, Cancer Prevention, an education resource developed by ASCO for doctors and other health care professionals who treat people with cancer.

Understanding Cancer Risk

A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease, such as cancer. This section provides an overview of risk factors.

Cancer Screening

Find information about the goals and limitations of cancer screening and common screening tests.


Find information on how chemoprevention can slow the development of cancer.

Food and Cancer Prevention

Learn about the complexities of studying specific foods, nutrients, vitamins, and minerals and the role they could play in cancer prevention. 


Find information on the link between alcohol and cancer.

HPV and Cancer

Get information on the types of cancer related to human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, as well as ways to help prevent infection.

Menopause and Cancer Risk

Learn about the complex relationship between menopause, hormone replacement therapy, and cancer risk.

Obesity and Cancer

Find information on why maintaining a healthy weight is important for cancer prevention and recovery from cancer.

Physical Activity and Cancer Risk

Being active lowers your risk of certain cancers. It also lowers your risk of other chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. This article includes tips for encouraging activity in teens and children.   

Protecting Your Skin From the Sun

Take these simple steps to prevent skin cancer and learn how to find the disease early, when there is the greatest chance it can be successfully treated.

Stopping Tobacco Use After a Cancer Diagnosis

If you have been diagnosed with cancer and continue to smoke or use other tobacco products, you may believe it is too late to quit or there is no benefit to quitting. Some people feel deep down they don’t deserve extra help or care because smoking might have caused their cancer. However, it is never too late to stop using tobacco.