While you won’t learn everything, you must know about the “Big Four’ cancers in this article; we’ll briefly introduce them as we take points from the following excerpt in “The Authorities” by Melanie R. Palomares, M.D., M.S. “The Greatest Weapon Against Cancer is Knowledge”
The featured author: “Dr. Mel,” has been medically trained in Internal Medicine, Hematology-Oncology, Epidemiology, and Cancer Genetics.
Professionally she is the co-founder of the City of Hope Risk Breast Clinic and Physician Founder of Cancer Prevention, Inc., making her an authority in primary cancer prevention and screening.
With a personal health crisis, Dr. Mel, after having curative surgery for a pre-melanoma, she’s made it her mission to help people be proactive and reduce their cancer risk.
Risks
With two general risk factor classifications: Genetic and Environmental, each form of cancer has a variable of factors you should know.
Genetic Risks
You can’t avoid genetic risk factors; you were born with genes that could cause cancer.
Environmental Risks
Where you live geographically can affect your risks due to the climate, the air, water quality, and the food you eat.
Breast & Gynecological Cancers
The most important thing to know is that breast cancer and other gynecological cancers are due to the estrogen hormone. It occurs mainly in maturity when the peak of the hormone activity. And it doesn’t only affect women.
Female hormones and post-maturity are also the leading causes of ovarian and uterine cancers. However, cervical cancer primarily affects younger women.
Just because you have a history of breast cancer in your family doesn’t necessarily mean you will develop it. Regular mammograms for screening have been the standard since the 1980s, so it’s detected early.
Colorectal Cancers
Chronic inflammation can lead to cancer in your colon and rectum and causes illnesses like chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and dysplasia, abnormal and affected cells in the colon.
Your family history can affect your risk factor, as you can inherit conditions associated with genetic cancers. You can find more info here.
Your diet has an effect; studies from The American Institute for Cancer Risk (AICR) show colon cancers are preventable through diet, staying healthy, and being physically active.
Lung Cancer
Tobacco use
The most common cause of cancer death is lung cancer. Tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure by it is more lethal than the vapor that the smoker takes in. So if you live or work with or around tobacco smokers, you are at a higher risk of lung cancer.
Tobacco products have 7,000 chemicals and 70 known to cause cancer, are excreted by the body and cause kidney and bladder cancer.
Radon Poisoning
Another rising cause of lung cancer is radon. Many older rural and suburban homes have built up radon from naturally decaying uranium in soil with 21,000 lung cancers.
Asbestos
Asbestos exposure usually happens by working around it and breathing in its fibers, and it has been linked to the cancer mesothelioma. There are laws to stop the use of asbestos in housing, but many older homes before 1980 may have them.
Prostate Cancer
The androgen or male hormone is responsible for this cancer and is one of the most common cancers affecting American men.
Age
Age also plays a role; most reported cases are of men 65 years and older. Your family history can hint at your risk; your risk is elevated if you’re closely related to a prostate patient.
Race
African American men have a 61% greater chance of getting prostate cancer than white American men, and when diagnosed, it’s more likely to be advanced. Screening should be at age 50; lifestyle choices like high-fat diets, smoking, and less sun exposure can increase your risks.
Cancer Screening
Many methods are available, including at-home tests, blood tests, special x-rays like mammograms, or procedures like a colonoscopy that can provide early cancer detection.
Getting screened by a doctor who thoroughly understands the risk factors is essential. False positives are common and cause stress and anxiety, which leads to overtreatment and overdiagnosis.
Lifestyle Changes
Your diet choices can help you prevent cancer or develop it again.
Eating plant-based foods, including fruits, veggies, nuts, and whole grains, add fiber that cleans your system of the cancer-causing agents which prevent cancer.
You don’t have to avoid all meat and dairy, but you should limit consuming them, mainly processed meats like hotdogs or lunchmeats. Some are healthier than others, like fish and poultry. Americans are known to include more meat in their diets.
Physical Activity
Keeping active, walking, and exercising can lower your cancer risk, help you maintain a healthy weight, and regulate your hormones.
Stress
You may not think about stress affecting you, but the hormone cortisol is released, which leads to obesity and facilitates cancer growth and spread. Chronic stress promotes inflammation which feeds cancer.
Medications
Dr. Mel discusses medications in her book that we won’t touch on in this article.
Surgery
While this is a big decision, it may become necessary to avoid metastasis or spread. One of the most common is the bi-lateral mastectomy or removal of one or both breasts, which may reduce the risk but won’t eliminate them. The result could be scars, infection, and blood clots.
Removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries can help treat ovarian cancer.
Conclusion:
I enjoyed reading The Authorities, as the book lives up to its name, packed with knowledge from 8 authorities who provide up-to-date information on topics like cancer, mindfulness, happiness, relationships, healing, the vegan lifestyle, and even retirement planning.Â
References:
- Cancer Prevention Movement
- Breast Cancer
- Health Risk of Radon
- Smoking and Bladder Cancer
- Health Risks of Secondhand Smoke
- Asbestos and Cancer Risk
- Prostate Cancer Risk Factors
- Be Physically Active
- Effects of psycho-behavioral interventions on immune functioning in cancer patients: a systematic review.
- Impact of stress on cancer metastasis
- Mastectomy
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Here's how Care.com can help, and what to know before you start. What Is Care.com, and How Does It Help With Senior Care? Care.com is an online marketplace that connects families with caregivers for in-home senior care, along with options like senior living communities and adult day programs. Instead of working through a stack of business cards from a hospital discharge folder or asking around your neighborhood group chat, you can search caregiver profiles by the specific skills your family needs, plus get additional safety and hiring tools to make the process easier. Whether your loved one needs help with meal prep, transportation, light housekeeping, personal care, medication reminders, companionship, or dementia support, you can search for caregivers who list that exact experience, then compare hourly rates, bios, and ratings and reviews left by other families. [INTERNAL LINK: our guide to signs a parent needs in-home care] How Do You Search for a Caregiver on Care.com? The process is straightforward: post a job describing your family's needs, and caregivers apply directly to you. You can search by skills, experience, and hourly rate to find a care that fits your needs and your budget. You must be a member to message and hire. Video interviews are built into the platform, so you can screen someone before sharing your address or inviting them into your parent's home. You can compare multiple caregivers side by side before making any commitment—no pressure to decide on the spot. Is Care.com Safe? What the Required Background Check Covers Every individual caregiver on Care.com's platform starts with a required background check. Care.com also monitors job posts and messages, operates a 24/7 safety hotline, and provides tips and resources to help families make safer hiring choices—you can learn more at care.com/safety. That said, a background check is an important start—not the full picture. We always encourage families to conduct their own additional vetting: talk with caregivers directly, check references, ask detailed questions about experience with your loved one's specific needs, and trust your instincts during video interviews before anyone sets foot in the home. It's also worth taking a few minutes to verify the details in any caregiver profile or job posting, since families are ultimately responsible for confirming that information is accurate. What Does Care.com Cost for Senior Care? As of 2026, Care.com's premium membership for families starts at $12.99/month, depending on the length of the plan you choose—you can search by skills, experience, and hourly rate to find care that fits your needs and your budget. What Is the Care.com Senior Care Advisor Service? For families who feel stuck before they've even started—who don't know whether Mom needs a few hours of help a week or a full conversation about assisted living—Care.com also offers Senior Care Advisor. 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[INTERNAL LINK: our Medicare/Medicaid senior care coverage guide] It's designed for exactly the moment so many of us find ourselves in: knowing something has to change, but not knowing where to begin—and not wanting to figure it out completely alone. → Learn more about the Senior Care Advisor on Care.com You're Not the Only One Feeling This If you're the adult child juggling this search alongside a job, your own kids, and a life that already felt full, the guilt of "should I be doing this myself" is real. So is the exhaustion of not knowing where to even start looking. Those feelings are common, not a sign you're falling short. Having a structured way to search—filtered by the specific help your loved one needs, backed by reviews from families who've been exactly where you are—takes some of that weight off, even if it doesn't remove it entirely. How to Get Started on Care.com You don't need to have everything figured out to start searching. You can browse caregiver profiles freely, get a feel for who's available in your area, and filter by exactly what your family needs—whether that's someone a few hours a week for companionship or more consistent daily support. When you're ready, you can become a member to message caregivers, schedule video interviews, and compare your options side by side before hiring. Caregiving decisions are personal, and they rarely feel simple. But having a clear, organized way to search—instead of piecing it together from scratch—can make a genuinely hard season a little more manageable. Because while you want to care for everyone you love, it can't always be you. When it's not you, it's Care.com™. Frequently Asked Questions About Care.com for Senior Care Is Care.com legit for finding senior care? Yes. Care.com is a long-running online marketplace connecting families with caregivers, including for senior and adult care. Every individual caregiver starts with a required background check, and the platform offers safety monitoring and a 24/7 safety hotline—though families should still do their own vetting before hiring. How much does Care.com cost for senior care? As of 2026, a Care.com membership starts at $12.99/month, depending on the length of the plan you choose. Does every caregiver on Care.com have a background check? Yes—every individual caregiver on Care.com's platform starts with a required background check. Families are still encouraged to do additional vetting, such as checking references and conducting video interviews, since a background check is a starting point rather than a full screening on the family's behalf. What is Care.com Senior Care Advisor? It's a paid, one-time service that gives you 90 days of access to a dedicated advisor—typically a master's-level social worker—who builds a personalized care plan for your family, covering options like in-home care, senior living, and navigating Medicare and Medicaid. It also includes 90 days of Care.com membership. Can I find caregivers with memory care or dementia experience on Care.com? Yes. You can search for memory care and dementia experience and compare reviews from other families who've hired caregivers for similar needs. Does Care.com offer senior living community listings? Care.com's core search focuses on in-home caregivers, but it also provides information on options outside the home, including senior living communities and adult day programs. → Start your search on Care.com Disclaimer: Care.com does not employ or place caregivers, provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, or engage in any conduct that requires a professional license, including in connection with certain senior caregiving services. Families are encouraged to verify the accuracy of information in caregiver profiles, job postings, and other areas of the site. Pricing is subject to change; confirm current rates on Care.com directly. "Care.com" and "When it's not you, it's Care.com™" are service marks or registered service marks of Care.com, Inc](https://senioraffair.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/How-to-Find-Senior-Care-for-a-Parent-A-Practical-Guide-to-Getting-Started-218x150.jpeg "How to Find Senior Care for a Parent: A Practical Guide to Getting Started")
