About 75 percent of oral cancers are caused by smoking and drinking alcohol. Oral cancer is lethal more often than it needs to be because people tend to ignore symptoms.

大約75%的口腔癌是由吸煙和飲酒引起的。口腔癌的致死性之所以比該病應有致死性高，是因為人們常常忽視了癥狀。

Your doctor has given you the lowdown on how to protect yourself against breast, colon, and lung cancer: Get yearly mammograms (check) and regular colonoscopies (check), and don't smoke (double check). But when was the last time she asked if you had any persistent mouth sores, unexplained fevers or joint pain, or discomfort during sex?

你的醫生已告訴過你如何保護自己免受乳房癌、結腸癌以及肺癌的威協，即：每年進行乳房X光片檢查，定期進行結腸鏡檢查，并且不要吸煙（重復檢查）。但是，你是否患有任何頑固性口腔潰瘍？是否無緣無故地發燒或關節疼痛？是否在性生活中有不適感？她最后一次問你這些問題是什么時候？

These can be symptoms of three cancers — oral, leukemia, and endometrial — that don't get the attention they deserve. Even though they are among the most common cancers affecting women over age 55, these diseases can fall through the cracks as doctors focus on the biggest killers hogging the health headlines, says Elmer Huerta, MD, MPH, president of the American Cancer Society.

這些表現可能是口腔癌、白血病及子宮內膜癌這三種癌癥的癥狀，這些癥狀沒有得到應有重視。即使它們是影響55歲以上婦女健康最常見的癌癥，這些病也會被人們忽視，因為醫生觀注的是寫在健康標題之上的最大殺手。美國癌癥協會主席、公共衛生碩士、醫學博士、埃爾默*懷爾特如是說。

 Read more for the facts behind these quiet dangers — and the simple ways you can protect yourself.

請閱讀以下內容，以了解這些悄無聲息的危險背后的真相和自我保護的簡易方法。

Oral cancer

口腔癌

Your risk: 1 in 98, with diagnoses peaking between the ages of 55 and 65. Oral cancer is lethal more often than it needs to be because people tend to ignore symptoms (it's typically caught in late stages).

風險為九十八分之一，年齡處于55歲到65歲之間發現的最多。口腔癌的致死性之所以比該病應有致死性高，是因為人們常常忽視了癥狀（常常在晚期才發現）。

Stay healthy: Watch your mouth: See a dentist or doctor about any sore in your mouth or on your lips that doesn't clear up in 2 weeks. A change in color or persistent pain, tenderness, or numbness anywhere in your mouth or on your lips should also prompt a fast visit.

保持健康：觀察你的嘴：如果口內或嘴唇上的任何潰瘍兩星期后未消除，請到牙醫或醫生處就診。口內或嘴唇上任何地方顏色發生改變，或出現頑固性疼痛，或觸痛，或麻木等，也應立即就醫。

Curb your vices: About 75 percent of oral cancers are caused by smoking and drinking alcohol. When such habits were considered unladylike, men with oral cancer outnumbered women 6 to 1, says Sol Silverman Jr., DDS, a professor of oral medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry. "But in the last 50 years, the incidence in women has soared — now the ratio is two men to every woman." Limit your intake to one drink per day.

革除陋習：大約75%的口腔癌是由吸煙和飲酒引起的。舊金山加利福尼亞大學牙科學院口腔醫學教授、國外學位獲得者、小索爾*塞爾費曼（Sol Silverman Jr.）說：“在人們認為此類習慣有違婦道的年月，患口腔癌的男性人數超過女性1到6倍。但是，在最近的五十年中，女性的發病率激增，現在男女的比率為2比1。”限制你自己每天只喝一杯酒。

Guard your lips: They need protection, too. Sunscreen isn't exactly tasty, so choose a balm with SPF and then apply your favorite gloss or lipstick.

保護雙唇：嘴唇也需要保護。防曬霜的味道的確不怎么樣，因此，先挑選一種含SPF的油膏，然后再抹上你最喜歡的光亮劑或唇膏。

The good news: Researchers at Ohio State University recently found that phytochemicals extracted from Hass avocados could kill or stop the growth of oral cancer cells. The study was done in test tubes, but there's no need to wait for confirmation — bring on the guacamole!

好消息：俄亥俄州立大學的研究人員最近發現，從Hass鱷梨中淬取的植物化學物質，能殺死口腔癌細胞或阻止其生長。這項研究是在試管中進行的，但是，不必等待其確認，食用色拉調味醬即可。

Leukemia

白血病

Your risk: Many think of it as a children's disease, but the biggest jump in cases occurs between ages 55 and 74.

風險：許多人都認為這是一種兒童疾病，但是該病例的猛增發生在55歲到74歲之間。

Stay healthy: Note any symptoms If you find yourself extremely pale or bruising easily, or if your gums bleed (more than is normal if you neglect to floss), it's time to get checked out. Extreme fatigue, unexplained fevers, and bone or joint pain are other common symptoms.

保持健康：如果你發現自己面色極度蒼白或容易擦傷，或發現牙齦出血（如果沒有剔牙，且比正常情況下出血多），那就該進行檢查了。極度疲勞，無緣無故地發燒，骨頭或關節疼痛，是另外的常見癥狀。

Avoid unnecessary scans: CT scans are a great diagnostic tool, but they deliver much more radiation than X-rays and may be overused, says Barton Kamen, MD, PhD, chief medical officer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In fact, researchers suggest that one-third of CT scans could be unnecessary. High doses of radiation can trigger leukemia, so make sure scans are not repeated if you see multiple doctors, and ask if another test, such as an ultrasound or MRI, could substitute.

避免不必要的掃描：白血病及淋巴瘤學會首席醫學官員、醫學博士巴頓*克曼（Barton Kamen）說，CT掃描是一種重要的診斷工具，但輻射比X光大得多，還可能被過度使用。實際上，研究人員提出意見說，三分之一的CT掃描都是多余的。大劑量的輻射能引發白血病。因此，在多科就診時，一定要保證不要重復掃描，并且要詢問可否用另一種測試來替代，如超聲波或核磁共振等。

The good news: The 5-year survival rate for all people with leukemia has more than tripled in recent decades, from about 14 percent in the 1960s to about 65 percent today. "New advancements now help us determine who is a good candidate for a bone marrow transplant and who might respond better to other therapies," says Kamen. "The result is more targeted treatment and better outcomes."

好消息：所有白血病患者的5年生存率，在最近幾十年已增至3倍，從六十年代的14%左右增加到現在的65%。克曼說：“如今，新的進步有助于我們判斷骨髓移植的合適人選以及誰對治療的反應較好。其結果是治療更具針對性且療效較好。

Endometrial (uterine) cancer

子宮內膜（子宮）癌

Your risk: 1 in 40. This is the fourth most common type of cancer in women — 90 percent of cases occur in women over age 50. You're more vulnerable if you're toting extra weight: Obese women are two to three times as likely to develop the disease. "Fat acts like another gland, which increases the levels of estrogen and other hormones in your system. That stimulates the growth of abnormal tissues," says Huerta.

風險為40分之1。這是婦女中第四類最常見的癌癥，90%的病例發生在50歲以上的婦女中間。如果體重過大，則易受到該病的侵襲。肥胖婦女患此病的可能性為3到4倍。懷爾特說：“脂肪如同另一個腺體，它增加了機體中雌激素和其它激素的水平，這就刺激了異常組織的生長。”

Stay healthy: Mention any unusual bleeding. More than 80 percent of endometrial cancers are found in the earliest, most treatable stages because this symptom tends to send women promptly to their doctors. If you notice any vaginal bleeding after menopause or bleeding between your periods, or if you experience pelvic pain, especially during intercourse, tell your doctor immediately.

保持健康：注意任何異常出血。80%以上的子宮內膜癌在早期，也就是最可治療的階段就被發現，因為這一癥狀往往促使婦女立刻就醫。如果你覺察到絕經后有任何陰道出血現象，或月經之間出血，如果你經歷盆腔疼痛，特別是在性生活中，立即告訴你的醫生。

Know your family history: "The same genetic mutation that puts people at increased risk of colon cancer also ups their odds of getting endometrial cancer," says Edward L. Trimble, MD, MPH, head of Gynecologic Cancer Therapeutics at the National Cancer Institute. If you have a parent or sibling with that disease, get screened yearly for endometrial cancer starting at 30.

了解你的家族史：國家癌癥研究所的婦科癌癥治療學領導人、公共健康碩士、醫學博士、愛德華L*特林布爾（Edward L. Trimble）說：“增大了患結腸癌風險的基因突變還提高了人們患子宮內膜癌的風險。”如果你的父母或兄弟姐妹中有一人患有此病，請你從30歲起每年進行一次子宮內膜癌檢查。

Move more all day: In a recent report on more than 250,000 women, those who exercised several hours daily reduced their risk of endometrial cancer by up to 52 percent, probably because staying active reduces estrogen levels while helping you maintain a healthy weight. Exercise frequency mattered more than intensity — light housework, gardening, and walking are enough.

一天到晚多運動：最近一份關于250000 名婦女的研究報告中稱，每天鍛煉數小時者，患子宮內膜癌的風險降低了52%，這或許是因為保持活躍狀態降低雌激素水平，同時有助于保持健康的體重。鍛煉的頻率勝于強度，做少量的家務、栽花種草以及散步等活動足矣。

Avoid iron: A Swedish study has found that taking iron supplements after menopause raises the risk of endometrial cancer by 70 percent. After age 50, the daily recommendation for iron drops from 18 mg per day to 8 mg, an amount easily obtained from food.

避免補鐵：瑞士的一項研究發現，絕經后補鐵增加患子宮內膜癌的風險達70％。50歲后，每日推薦鐵攝入量從１８毫克降至８毫克，這是一個容易從食物中獲得的量。

The good news: In the same study, calcium supplements halved endometrial cancer risk. (Researchers aren't sure why, but eating high-calcium dairy products didn't provide the same benefit.) Experts recommend that postmenopausal women consume up to 1,000 mg of calcium a day, and 1,200 mg after age 70.

好消息：在同一研究中，補鈣使患子宮內膜癌的風險降低50％。（研究人員不知其所以然，但食用奶制品不能產生同樣的益處）。專家建議，絕經后的婦女每天攝入1000毫克的鈣；70歲之后，每天攝入量為1200毫克。