World
Cancer Day

Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol is a contributing factor to 6 cancers: colorectal, breast, mouth & throat (pharynx & larynx), oesophageal, liver, and stomach. The risk of cancer increases with higher alcohol consumption and even moderate drinking increases the risk.

Being Overweight or Obese

Being overweight increases the likelihood of developing 12 cancers, including bowel and pancreatic. Cancer risk rises with more weight gain, especially in adulthood.

Diet and Nutrition

A diet high in red and processed meats, and salt, and low in fruits and vegetables increase the risk of cancer. Experts advise that diet and nutrition play a role in cancer risk, especially for colorectum, nasopharynx, and stomach cancers.

Physical Activity

Physical activity reduces not only excess body fat and its related cancer risks, but also lowers the likelihood of colon, breast, and endometrial cancers.

Tobacco

Tobacco smoke has 80+ carcinogens. When inhaled, the chemicals enter the lungs, enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing not only lung and mouth cancers, but also increasing the risk of many other cancers.

Ionizing and Radiation

Artificial radiation sources can lead to cancer and pose a risk for workers, such as radon, x-rays, gamma rays, and other high-energy radiation. Unprotected prolonged exposure to UV radiation from the sun, sunlamps, and tanning beds can cause melanoma and skin cancers. People with fair skin, many moles, family history of melanoma/skin cancer, are at the highest risk, but skin cancer can occur in all skin tones, including those with darker skin.

Occupational Exposure

Occupational exposure to cancer-causing substances poses a risk for some workers, e.g. higher incidence of bladder cancer among chemical dye industry workers. Asbestos is a widely recognized workplace cause of cancer, particularly mesothelioma, which affects the lung covering.

Infection

Infectious agents cause 2.2 million cancer deaths annually, not through contagiousness but through causing cell changes that increase cancer risk.

Immunosuppressive drugs

Those taking immunosuppressive drugs are likely to develop some types of cancers like Kaposis’s sarcoma.

Age

Cancer incidence increases with age due to prolonged exposure to carcinogens and increased chances of genetic mutations in cells.

Gender

Women are more likely to develop some types of cancers.

Cancer-Causing Substances (Carcinogens)

Carcinogens alter cell behavior and raise cancer risk. Genes contain coded instructions for cell behavior, but mutations or changes to them can cause altered cell behavior and increase the likelihood of cancer.

Genetics

Some people are born with a genetic predisposition to a specific cancer, increasing their likelihood of developing it. For instance, women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes have a higher risk of breast cancer, but less than 5% of all cases are caused by these genes. Similarly, some people have a genetic predisposition for colon cancer, but most cases are not due to inherited genes.

The Immune System

Individuals with weakened immune systems have an increased risk of developing certain cancers. This group includes organ transplant recipients taking immunosuppressive drugs, those with HIV/AIDS and individuals with medical conditions that lower their resistance to disease.