Cancer Risk Factors

The following are various types of cancer and their risk factors:

Breast Cancer - Family history of breast cancer, obesity, late childbearing and childlessness

Bladder Cancer - Smoking (nearly half of cases); bladder cancer is more common in men than women

Cervical Cancer - First intercourse at an early age, multiple sexual partners, smoking, history of genital herpes

Colorectal Cancer - Being over 50 with colon polyps or ulcerative colitis, family history of these disorders or colon cancer, high-fat, low-fiber diet

Leukemia - Exposure to radiation, benzene and other chemicals

Lung Cancer - Smoking (83 percent of cases), exposure to asbestos, radiation and secondhand tobacco smoke

Lymphoma - Being over 50, no other known risk factors

Oral Cancer - Smoking, chewing tobacco and heavy alcohol use

Pancreatic Cancer - Smoking, high-fat diet

Prostate Cancer - Risk increases with age; more than 80 percent of cases occur after 65

Skin Cancer - Fair skin, severe sunburn in childhood, frequent sun exposure and family history of skin cancer

Uterine Cancer - Being post-menopausal with a history of infertility, ovulation failure or abnormal bleeding, also obesity, hypertension and diabetes