Prevention

Prevention of cancer starts in childhood, to the negative effects of smoking and living a healthy lifestyle is important. This can reduce your children’s risk of getting cancer later in life. Start by helping them adopt a healthy lifestyle with good eating habits and plenty of exercise to keep a healthy weight. Then follow recommended tips below to help prevent specific kinds of cancer.
Stay Safe in the Sun. Just a few serious sunburns can increase your child’s risk of skin cancer later in life. Follow our sun safety tips to protect their skin from the sun whenever they’re outdoors. Use sunscreen and reapply as directed. Take breaks from the sun and were protective clothing when spending long periods in the sun.

Indoor tanning and tanning outside are both dangerous. Don’t let your children or teens tan.

Get Your Kids Vaccinated Against HPV. Human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sex, is the main cause of cervical cancer. HPV infection also can cause many vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers.

The HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cancer. Both boys and girls should start and finish the HPV vaccine series of three shots when they are 11 or 12 years old. Teen girls and young women through 26 years, as well as teen boys and young men through 21 years, who haven’t started or finished the series should get those shots as soon as possible. The HPV vaccine can be given beginning at age 9.