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Health Conditions
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Cancer
What are the risk factors?
Risk factors are characteristics that increase your chance for developing a condition. Exposure to certain substances in the environment may increase the risk of cancer. In fact, many cancers can be prevented by:
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not using any tobacco products
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eating a proper diet
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avoiding the overexposure to the sun or ultraviolet light (as also found in tanning beds)
Cigarette smoke is directly responsible for 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States. The Surgeon General and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that smoking accounts for about 400,000 deaths per year. While smoking is most often associated with lung cancer, it is also a cause of cancers of the:
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mouth
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pharynx
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larynx
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esophagus
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pancreas
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uterus
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kidneys
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bladder
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Other risk factors are those that were discussed previously as contributing to the cause of cancer. Other risk factors that cannot be controlled include increasing age and family history. For example, women with a mother, sister, or daughter who has had breast cancer have a higher risk of getting the disease. Prostate cancer also appears to have a hereditary link.
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Note: The above information is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. It is not intended to diagnose a health condition, but it can be used as a guide to help you decide if you should seek professional treatment or to help you learn more about your condition once it has been diagnosed.
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What are the risk factors?
