Risk Factors
Significant Points
Factors which increase the risk of cancer
Tobacco chewing and smoking
Food and lifestyle
Alcohol
Viral infection
Radiation
Immunodeficiency and Immune suppression
Factors That May Affect the Risk of Cancer
Sedentary work and lifestyle
Obesity
Diabetes
Environment-related risk factors
What is a cancer risk factor? Anything which increases the risk of developing cancer is called cancer risk factor and cancer-protective factors decrease the chance of developing cancer. Not all risk factors are avoidable. Tobacco abuse and lifestyle-related risk factors can be avoided but inherited risk factors cannot be avoided. The risk factors which can be avoided are called modifiable risk factors. They are food, lifestyle and environment-related risk factors.
Factors which increase the Risk of Cancer
Tobacco chewing and smoking
Tobacco abuse is intensely related to cancer risk. Especially cigarette smoking is top cause of multiple cancer types cause of the following types of cancer:
- Blood Cancer (Leukemia).
- Cervical cancer
- Oesophagus cancer.
- Lung cancer
- Oral Cancer
- Pancreas Cancer
- Renal (Kidney) Cancer
- Stomach Cancer
- Urinary Bladder Cancer
Smoking cessation or avoiding smoking decreases the risk of getting cancer and also dying from it. Up to 30% of all cancer deaths occur due to smoking.
Factors which decrease Cancer
- Prevention of Lung cancer
- Cessation of cigarette smoking
Infections
Many virus and bacteria can cause multiple cancers. They are more common in developing countries accounting for every 4th case than in developed countries where every 10th case is caused by infection. Some of the cancer-causing agents are enlisted below
- EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus) which causes Burkitt Lymphoma.
- Helicobacter pylori which causes stomach cancer.
- HBV (Hepatitis B Virus) and HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) cause Liver cancer
- HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) causes oral and genital cancer.
There are some approved vaccines to prevent infection by these cancer-causing agents. The first one is against the Hepatitis B virus. The second one is against multiple pathogenic strains of the Human Papilloma Virus. There are multiple upcoming vaccines with ongoing research against infections that may lead to cancer
Radiation
Exposure to radiation is a known risk factor for cancer. There are multiple types and sources of radiation
- Ultraviolet light from sun causes non melanoma skin cancers.
- Ionizing form of radiation: from medical sources such as x-ray, computed tomography scan (CT scan) or nuclear medicine imaging. andnon medical sources such as radon gas at houses.
Factors That May Affect the Risk of Cancer
Diet
Your regular diet may influence your cancer risk. Studying diet’s effect on cancer is difficult because it includes both protective and harmful foods, and people often struggle to track their long-term eating habits. Some studies link high-fat, high-protein, high-calorie, and red meat diets to increased colorectal cancer risk, but results are mixed. It’s still unclear if low-fat, high-fiber, fruit, and vegetable-rich diets lower this risk.
Smoking cessation or avoiding smoking decreases the risk of getting cancer and also dying from it. Up to 30% of all cancer deaths occur due to smoking.
- Breast Cancer Prevention
- Colorectal Cancer Prevention
Alcohol
Studies have shown that drinking alcohol is linked to an increased risk of the following types of cancers:
- Oral cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Breast cancer
- Colo rectal cancer (in men)
Drinking alcohol may also increase the risk of liver cancer and female colo rectal cancer. See the following PDQ summaries for more information:
- Breast Cancer Prevention
- Colo rectal Cancer Prevention
- Esophageal Cancer Prevention
- Oral Cavity, Pharyngeal, and Laryngeal Cancer Prevention
- Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Prevention
Physical Activity
Studies show that people who are physically active have a lower risk of certain cancers than those who are not. It is not known if physical activity itself is the reason for this. Studies show a strong link between physical activity and a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Some studies show that physical activity protects against postmenopausal breast cancer and endometrial cancer. See the following PDQ summaries for more information:
Smoking cessation or avoiding smoking decreases the risk of getting cancer and also dying from it. Up to 30% of all cancer deaths occur due to smoking.
- Breast Cancer Prevention
- Colorectal Cancer Prevention
- Endometrial Cancer Prevention
Obesity
Studies show that obesity is linked to a higher risk of the following types of cancer:
- Postmenopausal breast cancer.
- Colorectal cancer
- Endometrial cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
Some studies show that obesity is also a risk factor for cancer of the gallbladder and liver cancer. It is not known if losing weight lowers the risk of cancers that have been linked to obesity. See the following PDQ summaries for more information:
- Breast Cancer Prevention
- Colo rectal Cancer Prevention
- Endometrial Cancer Prevention
- Lung Cancer Prevention
Diabetes
There is marginally increased risk of certain types of cancer as seen in some studies.
Smoking cessation or avoiding smoking decreases the risk of getting cancer and also dying from it. Up to 30% of all cancer deaths occur due to smoking.
- Being older
- Being obese
- Smoking
- Not eating a healthy diet
- Not exercising
Common Risk Factors Between Cancer And Diabetes are
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer in women
- Colorectal cancer
- Endometrial cancer
- Liver cancer
- Lung cancer
- Oropharyngel cancer.
- Ovarian cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
Smoking cessation or avoiding smoking decreases the risk of getting cancer and also dying from it. Up to 30% of all cancer deaths occur due to smoking.
- Air pollutants have been linked cancer which are tobacco smoke, asbestos, chemicals polluting outdoor air which cause lung cancer.
- Water pollutants especially with arsenic can cause urinary bladder, lung and skin.
The Above mentioned Risk Factor and Causes of Cancer were explained by Dr.Chinnababu Sunkavalli, the Best Oncologist in Hyderabad to create awareness of Cancer.