Cancer Risk Factors


Am I Likely to Develop Cancer?

actor is anything that raises or lowers a person’s chance of developing a disease. Although doctors can seldom explain why one person develops the disease and another does not, researchers have identified specific factors that increase a person’s chances of developing certain types of cancers.

Cancer risk factors can be divided into four groups:



  • Behavioral risk factors are things you do, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, using tanning beds, eating unhealthy foods, being overweight and not getting enough exercise. 
  • Environmental risk factors include things in the environment around you, such as UV radiation, secondhand smoke, pollution, pesticides and other toxins.
  • Hereditary risk factors relate to specific mutated genes inherited from your parents. You have a higher likelihood of developing cancer if you inherit one of these mutated genes.


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