The “Seeds of Hope” Cancer Informational Fair returns after a four year hiatus. The event is scheduled for Sunday, June 11 at Kaiser Permanente San Jose at 276 International Circle near Cottle Road.
Anita Lee, MD, a radiation oncologist at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara is a cancer survivor. That experience has helped her better understand what’s on the minds of cancer patients and cancer survivors.
“Once you’ve been diagnosed with cancer and treated, you are desperate to find out everything possible that can help reduce the risk of the cancer coming back,” Lee said.
Since 2010, Lee and her colleague Maria Pilar Ivanov, MD, an oncologist at Kaiser Permanente San Jose, have organized an annual cancer information fair to answer some of those questions. It’s called “Seeds of Hope,” and it is returning for the first time since the pandemic.
This year, it will be held at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. There will be booths staffed by cancer specialists, discussions about the causes of cancer, healthy cooking demonstrations, and exercise recommendations.
“Seeds of Hope provides our members and patients with the opportunity to talk to experts and take away plenty of information,” Lee said.
“Seeds of Hope” was started to coincide with National Cancer Survivors Day, which is a celebration for cancer survivors. It’s also a day to inspire the recently diagnosed and provide support to them and their families.
According to the World Health Organization, 30 to 50 percent of cancers are preventable.
Ivanov said about 90 to 95% of cancers are linked to lifestyle and environmental factors such as obesity, poor diet and metabolic syndrome. Excessive drinking, smoking, physical inactivity, untreated infections, and exposure to various environmental carcinogens can also cause some cancers.
Only 5 to 10% of cancers are attributed to genetic defects, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“Even with the major advances in treating and curing cancer, many more lives can be saved through a greater awareness of some of the ways to prevent cancer,” Ivanov said.