What Are Cancer Risk Factors?
Conditions or circumstances that increase your risk-chance—of getting cancer are called risk factors. The presence absence of risk factors tells you something about your char developing a certain type of cancer; it does not tell you whether or not you will get cancer. Many people with risk factors live to an old age and never develop cancer. Many people with no known risk factors do develop cancer.
Different types of cancer have different risk factors. Examples risk factors include family history (breast, colon, prostate can heavy alcohol consumption (liver, throat, esophagus, mouth), and cigarette smoking (lung, cervix, mouth).
Why Are Cancer Risk Factors Important?
Risk factors for cancer are important because some can be modified, allowing you to reduce your overall risk. Twin bro whose father died young of malignant melanoma have the same high risk of sun-induced skin cancer on the basis of their strong family history. One brother works inside and uses sunscreen f fully whenever he goes outside. He has a lower overall risk of developing malignant melanoma than does his brother, works as a pool lifeguard and is lax about sun protection, smokers who develop tongue cancer have an increased risk of developing throat cancer. The person who quits smoking t much lower risk of developing a second cancer of the head or neck than does the person who continues to smoke.
Knowledge of your risk factors may affect the way you screened for certain cancers, thus offering the opportunity for earlier detection and treatment. The presence of risk factors may the risk-benefit equation in favor of more frequent screening the institution of preventive treatment for certain types of cancer.
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