According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in every 3 women will develop cancer at some point. For guys it's even worse -- 1 in every 2 men will get some kind of cancer at some point in their lives. That's pretty startling I think.
So it's quite likely that you know more than just one or two people who have had cancer. And I'm not talking about Peter Jennings or some other celebrity. I mean close family and friends. Some of my list, for example:
-- Grandfather died of lung cancer (long-term heavey smoker)
-- Uncle died of brain cancer
-- Mother had breast cancer (treated and cured)
-- Uncle currently has mesothelioma (a kind of lung cancer; he'll die within a couple years)
-- Close friend my age was recently diagnosed with lung cancer
So what about you? How many of your friends and family have had cancer? Do you worry about getting it yourself? Do you do anything about it?
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In case you're morbidly interested, the top 3 risks for men:
1 in 6 will get Prostate cancer
1 in 13 will get Lung cancer
1 in 17 will get Colon/Rectal cancer
For women:
1 in 8 will get Breast cancer
1 in 17 will get Lung cancer
1 in 18 will get Colon/Rectal cancer