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Cancer risk factors

Different cancers have their own unique risk factors but the most common risk factors associated with cancer are gender, age and family history. Exposure to environmental risks such as chemicals, dust and radiation plus lifestyle factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, poor diet, exposure to infectious disease, some hormones, not much exercise, being overweight and too much sun exposure also play a large role.

While exposure to these risk factors increases the chance of developing cancer, it doesn’t mean anyone will automatically get cancer. But reducing your exposure to things which are known as risks will reduce your chances of developing cancer.

Some of these risks are:

•    Too much direct sunlight exposure and repeated sunburn

•    Workplace hazards such asbestos, pesticides, silicone, radiation, dusts etc.

•    Tobacco

•    Excessive alcohol  especially when combined with tobacco

•    Some medications when taken during radiation treatment

•    Family history

•    Being overweight

•    Inactivity

•    Some viral infections

•    Some bacterial infections

Most cancers appear in people over 65 but they aren’t uncommon in all age groups. Talk to your doctor about regular checkups and illness screenings for early detection to give you the best chance of surviving cancer.

Kidney cancer

-smoking and tobacco use.

-diet low in fresh fruits and vegetables

-poor oral hygiene can also contribute

Breast cancer

-increase in age

-lifetime hormonal changes including age at first menstruation, number of pregnancies and menopause age.

-family history especially mother or sister

-history of breast, ovarian, endometrial cancer

-higher education and socioeconomic status

-alcohol consumption

-being overweight

-dietary fat

-little physical activity

For men:

-increasing age

-family history

-radiation exposure

-high  oestrogen levels from inherited gene mutations or treatments

-possible risk factors include gynecomastia and being overweight

Ovarian Cancer

-history of breast cancer,

-family history of breast or ovarian cancer,

-never bearing children

-hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer

-Possible risk factor is dietary fat

Cervix cancer

-infection with human papilloma viruses (HPV)

-first sexual intercourse at early age

-many sexual partners or partners who had many sexual partners

-multiple births

-long-term oral contraceptive use

-cigarette smoking

-Possible risk factors are some vitamin deficiencies and hormonal imbalances.

Endometrium cancer

-Extended exposure to high level of oestrogens

-not bearing children or bearing only a one or two

-early start of menstruation, failure to menstruate

-late menopause

-oestrogen replacement therapy

-tamoxifen use

 -infertility

-being overweight

-diabetes, hypertension, gallbladder disease, and Stein-Leventhal syndrome

-possible risk factors include high dietary fat and hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer.

Skin cancer- melanoma

-continued unprotected exposure to strong sunlight & history of severe sunburn

-fair skin (occurs only in white skinned people)

-family history of melanoma

-multiple moles or coloured skin spots

-large  congenital moles,

-xeroderma pigmentosum (a rare hereditary disease)

-melanoma history

-reduced immune function because of organ transplants or HIV infection

Non melanoma

-ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning booths

-fair skin

-high doses of ionising radiation

-occupational exposure to arsenic, polycyclic hydrocarbons (coal tars, pitches, asphalt, creosote, soot, lubricating and cutting oils)

-rare hereditary diseases such as multiple basal cell carcinoma syndrome, xeroderma pigmentosum, and albinism.

-possible risk factors include burn scars, chronic infections, cosmetics, and medicines.

Prostate cancer

-increasing age,

-race (more common among African-American men than among white men)

-family incidence (especially father or brother)

-high animal fat diet

-cigarette smoking

-being overweight

-a sexually transmitted disease

-physical inactivity

Colorectal cancer

-strong family history of colorectal polyps or inflammatory bowel disease

-high fat diet, low in fibre, fruits and vegetables

-Possible factors include little physical activity, excessive alcohol, being overweight and smoking.

Pancreatic cancer

-cigarette smoking

-possibly alcohol, coffee, or tea consumption

-diabetes

-chronic pancreatitis

-cirrhosis

-allergies

-diet high in meat or butter fat

Stomach cancer

-diet high in nitrates (found in pickles) and low in fresh fruits and vegetables

-salted and smoked foods such as salamis,  

-pernicious anaemia

-possible risk factors include infection with Helicobacter pylori, high doses of ionising

  radiation, cigarette smoking and genetics

Liver cancer

-Hepatitis B or C virus chronic infection

-cirrhosis of the liver (caused by excessive alcohol or injury)

-aflatoxin ingestion (caused by common household mold found in foods such as peanuts which aren’t stored in airtight containers

-occupational exposure to thorium dioxide or vinyl chloride

-possibly steroid use, smoking and inherited metabolic diseases such as haemochromatosis

Bladder

- cigarette smoking;

-occupational exposure to benzidine and 2-naphthylamine (dye, leather or rubber industries)

-possible risk factors are large coffee consumption, bladder infection with schistosoma haematobium (a parasitic flatworm)

-anti-cancer drugs

-long-term use of pain killers containing phenacetin,

-urinary tract infections or low urine flow,

-genetic

Esophagus

-tobacco use

-excessive alcohol use

-having Barrett's esophagus.

-diet low in fresh fruits and vegetables

Gallbladder

-gallstones (caused by increasing age, being female, pregnancy, use of oestrogen, being overweight and excess fat in diet.

Lung cancer

-tobacco smoking

-passive tobacco exposure

-radiation exposure

-exposure to mustard gas, and other hazardous environmental gasses

-asbestos

-diet low in fresh fruit and vegetables

Brain

-genetics including neurofibromatosis and being a parent or sibling of a child with brain cancer

-high doses of ionizing radiation

-occupational exposure to chemicals (hydrocarbon compounds, bis-chloromethyl ether, vinyl chloride, and acrylonitrile.)

- electromagnetic field exposure,

-exposure to farm animals and pets

-severe head trauma

Thyroid

-high doses of ionizing radiation

-goiter

Kidney

- Cigarette smoking

- excessive weight

- analgesic abuse

- arsenic exposure in he workplace

-long term use of prescription diuretics

-large amounts of meat consumption.

Larynx

-cigarette smoking

- alcohol

-occupational exposure to asbestos or mustard gas

Non- Hodgkin Lymphoma

-reduced immune ability (because of organ transplants or infection from HIV, Epstein-Barr

  or human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus.)

- Possibly occupational exposure to pesticides, herbicides or organic solvents.

Hodgkin Lymphoma

- exposure to mononucleosis and Epstein-Barr virus infection.

- family history of Hodgkin lymphoma especially in siblings.

Leukaemia

- family history,

-high doses of ionizing radiation

-some cancer drugs

-Down syndrome or genetic abnormalities

-occupational exposure to benzene

-possibly exposure to electromagnetic fields, pesticides and  smoking

Multiple myeloma

-high ionising radiation doses

-possible risk factors repeated infections, allergies, auto immune disease, occupational

 exposure to benzene