Risk Factors and Causes of Cancer

1. Risk Factors and Causes of Cancer There are few conditions other than cancer which strike the kind of fear and trepidation in the minds of people. Although several other diseases have manifested themselves in the course of the last century, nothing is as prevalent, widespread and yet not fully understood as Cancer. Given that Cancer comes in various different forms and can be caused out of seemingly nothing adds to this fear. Worldwide efforts continue to better understand this condition even as an increasingly number of people are plagued by various kinds of cancers. At the last count there were well over a 100 different types of Cancers – including the well-known ones such as lung cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, cervical cancer, skin cancer amongst others. As the diseases keeps spreading naturally, there is a pressing need to understand what causes it and what factors increase the risk of incidence. Most of the factors uncovered are environmental factors, contributing to over 90% of Cancers worldwide. The rest of the Cancers, meanwhile, are genetically inherited. A logical extension thus says that most cancers could therefore be theoretically preventable – because the environment around us is largely altered by us. Environmental factors is a broad term to also include people’s lifestyle and does not just limited to the external environment and pollution of the environment. Lifestyle factors are the habits we inculcate during the course of our lives such as – unhealthy diets, substance abuse, lack of physical exercise etc. Lifestyle diseases such as morbid obesity also plays a crucial role in increasing the risk of cancer. One of the significant causes or risk factors of Cancers is usage of tobacco and substance abuse. Almost, a third of all Cancer patients suffer from the disease because of a history of tobacco usage. Some might not be direct users of tobacco but could be exposed to its remnants on a regular basis. Specifically speaking, lung cancer patients are largely those who have been smoking. Tobacco also causes cancers of the larynx, stomach, bladder, kidneys and pancreas to name a few. Skin cancers are largely due to the excessive exposure to ultraviolent rays of the sun – which is a direct result of the degrading environment we live in. Our lifestyles, as stated above, contribute greatly to the scourge of Cancer. In the last century, tremendous technological advancements have been made which have completely altered our lifestyle. Increasing propensity to reduce human effort has made us a world full of obese people – with an increased risk of cancer. Our diets are more susceptible to cause cancer, as we intake a greater amounts of salts. Hereditary risk is not something that’s in our control but by keeping the environment and lifestyle in check, we are greatly reduce the other risks of Cancer.