Basics of good health key to battling cancer, experts say

Avoiding smoking, fatty foods, excessive consumption of alcohol, infectious diseases, pollution and solar radiation could have prevented 30-40 percent of the cancer cases recorded each year, an event for World Cancer Day, which is Friday, has heard.

Speaking at the event organized Thursday by the Hellenic Cancer Society and the American College of Greece, society president Evangelos Filopoulos said that cancer kills around 28,000 people in Greece each year, with an average of 41,000 new cases diagnosed every 12 months.

Scientists encouraged parents to reduce the amount of junk food their children consume and return to the basic values of the Mediterranean diet.

They also recommended measures forcing fast-food outlets to improve the quality of their fare, as well as a tax hike on foods with a high sugar content.

Institute of Public Health chief Panagiotis Behrakis was also particularly critical of governments for failing to impose anti-smoking laws.