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Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides support for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
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At our National Cancer Information Center trained Cancer Information Specialists can answer questions 24 hours a day, every day of the year to empower you with accurate, up-to-date information to help you make educated health decisions. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with valuable services and resources.
Or ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
Investigator: Mark A. Guinter, PhD, MPH
Institution: Currently at Flatiron Health, Formerly at American Cancer Society, Population Science Department
Area of Research: Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Studies
The Challenge: Research shows a strong link between a person’s diet and their risk for developing colorectal cancer. But there hasn’t been consistent research about the effect of diet after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
The Research: A recent ACS study was one of the first to focus on colorectal cancer survivors’ risk of dying based on how well they ate before and after their diagnosis. Mark Guinter, PhD, MPH, a former American Cancer Society (ACS) post-doctoral fellow, was the lead author.
He and his team used data from 2,801 men and women with colorectal cancer from the ACS Cancer Prevention Study-II (CPS-II) Nutrition Study. Those who reported a diet that followed the ACS Guidelines for Nutrition for Cancer Prevention had a lower risk of death from their cancer — even if their diet was unhealthy before diagnosis. The ACS nutrition guidelines recommend eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and limit or avoid red and processed meats, sugary drinks, and highly processed foods.
The Goal and Long-term Possibilities: The findings suggest that colorectal cancer survivors may be able to live longer by eating a healthy diet. Doctors and other health care providers may use this evidence to let colorectal cancer survivors know that it’s not too late to improve how they eat.