News Release
September 29, 2004
Contact: Maureen McGuire, 860-679-4523
e-mail: mmcguire@nso.uchc.edu
The Answer to Cancer
October 14th Discovery Series Explores New Approach to Cancer
Prevention
FARMINGTON, CONN. – Cancer is a formidable foe, but authors Carolyn
D. Runowicz, M.D., and Sheldon H. Cherry, M.D., offer a hopeful,
science-based approach in their new book, The Answer to Cancer,
to help men and women lower their risk and fight back against this
widespread disease.
The answer, they argue, is prevention.
Drs. Runowicz and Cherry will share insights from their book during
the October 14 Discovery Series at the University of Connecticut Health
Center. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in the Keller Auditorium (use
main Health Center entrance) and will follow a book signing from 5:30 to
6:30 p.m. in the Keller Lobby.
The program is being sponsored by the Charlotte Johnson Hollfelder
Foundation. To register, call 800-535-6232 or 860-679-7692.
Dr. Runowicz is a nationally recognized expert in gynecologic
oncology and director of the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer
Center at the Health Center. She is also second vice president of the
American Cancer Society and will become president of the national
organization in 2005. Dr. Cherry, her husband, is a prominent
gynecologist in New York City and is a clinical professor of obstetrics
and gynecology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.
“Prevention is the new frontier of cancer research,” Dr. Runowicz
says, noting that the FDA has already approved drugs for cancer
prevention and several large-scale, national studies are currently
looking at new drugs and approaches to prevent cancer.
The Answer to Cancer places a strong emphasis on proactive
steps people can take to lower their risk of developing cancer. This
includes maintaining a healthy weight, eating five or more servings of
fruits and vegetables every day, exercising on most days of the week,
and completing all appropriate cancer screening tests.
“We want to empower people and help them use the best knowledge
science has discovered to optimize their health,” says Dr. Runowicz,
herself a breast cancer survivor.
The book provides a primer on how cancer develops as well as detailed
discussions about nine common cancers. For each of the cancers, Drs.
Runowicz and Cherry spell out risk factors, causes, all necessary
screening tests and preventive measures, as well as new and emerging
chemopreventive therapies – using natural or synthetic substances, such
as a nutrient or a drug, to keep cancer at bay or derail the disease
process before it becomes invasive.
In the final section of the book, Drs. Runowicz and Cherry offer
seven basic steps to improve defenses against cancer through their
“Cancer Prevention Plan”:
- Quit smoking
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day – and strive for
nine
- Exercise most days of the week and incorporate exercise into your
daily routines
- Practice safe sex
- Avoid overexposure to sunlight
- Schedule cancer check-ups
The Answer to Cancer is published by Rodale Books and will be
widely available in book stores this fall. Previous books by Drs.
Runowicz and Cherry include The Menopause Book: A Guide to Women’s
Health After 40 and Women and Cancer: A Thorough and
Compassionate Resource for Patients and Their Families. Dr. Runowicz is also the
author of To Be Alive: A Woman’s Guide to a Full Life After Cancer.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, John Dempsey Hospital, the UConn Medical Group and University Dentists. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. To learn more about the UConn Health Center, visit
our website at www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are
invited to visit the Office of Communications homepage at www.uchc.edu/ocomm/
for archived news releases and other information.
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