9.5: Cancer Risk and Prevention

Last updated

Jan 14, 2025
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- 9.4: Cancer Screening
- 10: Sexual Health

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Cancer Risk and Prevention

Cancer prevention are actions you can take to lower the chance of getting cancer. It is usually not possible to know exactly why one person develops cancer and another doesn’t. However, research has shown that certain risk factors may increase a person’s chances of developing cancer. Understanding the risk factors can help you to make lifestyle choices to try to prevent or lower your risk of cancer.

Health Assessment: Cancer Risk

The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Risk 360 assessment is a helpful tool for evaluating your personal cancer risk and identifying strategies to reduce it. By understanding your risk factors, you can take proactive steps to support your health and well-being.

Instructions

Access the Cancer Risk 360 Assessment:
- Visit the American Cancer Society Cancer Risk 360 Assessment to begin the evaluation.
Complete the Assessment:
- Answer the questions accurately and honestly. The assessment will ask about lifestyle factors, family history, and other potential risk contributors.
Review Your Results:
- After completing the assessment, review your personalized report. This will outline your risk level and provide recommendations for reducing your cancer risk.
- Take note of specific behaviors or risk factors highlighted in your results.
Reflect on Your Results:
- Summarize Your Results: Share your overall cancer risk level and any key insights or recommendations.
- Describe Your Feelings: Reflect on how the results align with your expectations. Were you surprised, reassured, or motivated? Why?
Identify Next Steps:
- Explore the recommendations provided in your report, such as improving dietary habits, quitting smoking, scheduling regular screenings, or increasing physical activity.
- Research available resources, such as cancer prevention programs or support groups in your community.
Set a SMART Goal for Cancer Prevention:
- Develop a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goal based on the recommendations from your results. For example: "I will increase my daily fruit and vegetable intake to at least five servings per day for the next three months to align with cancer prevention dietary guidelines."

Additional Resources

American Cancer Society: Visit cancer.org for information on cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment options.
Cancer Helpline: Call 1-800-227-2345 for support and information from the American Cancer Society.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Learn more about cancer prevention at cdc.gov/cancer.

This assessment encourages awareness of cancer risk factors and empowers you to make informed choices to reduce your risk and prioritize your health.

Age
- Advancing age is the most important risk factor for cancer overall and for many individual cancer types. The incidence rates for cancer overall climb steadily as age increases, from fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 people in age groups under age 20, to about 350 per 100,000 people among those aged 45–49, to more than 1,000 per 100,000 people in age groups 60 years and older.
Alcohol
- Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx (voice box), liver, and breast. The more you drink, the higher your risk. The risk of cancer is much higher for those who drink alcohol and also use tobacco.
Environmental Carcinogens
- People can avoid some cancer-causing exposures, such as tobacco smoke and the sun’s rays. But other ones are harder to avoid, especially if they are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, or the materials we use to do our jobs. Being exposed to chemicals and other substances in the environment has been linked to some cancers. A few carcinogens in our environment include: Arsenic, formaldehyde, asbestos, radon, wood dust, mineral oils, and soot.
Chronic Inflammation
- In chronic inflammation, the inflammatory process may begin even if there is no injury, and it does not end when it should. Why the inflammation continues is not always known. Chronic inflammation may be caused by infections that don’t go away, abnormal immune reactions to normal tissues, or conditions such as obesity. Over time, chronic inflammation can cause DNA damage and lead to cancer.
Diet
- Many studies have looked at the possibility that specific dietary components or nutrients are associated with increases or decreases in cancer risk, however, results have been inconclusive or need further research. It is hard to study the effects of diet on cancer because a person’s diet includes foods that may protect against cancer and foods that may increase the risk of cancer. Although the research is inconclusive, dietary relations to cancer have included:
  - Antioxidants may lower cancer risk by blocking the activity of free radicals that damage cells.
  - Artificial sweeteners have been shown to cause bladder cancer in animals.
  - Higher intakes of calcium may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
  - Charred meat increases exposure to chemicals that can cause cancer in animals.
  - Red meat is associated with an increased risk of colon and rectum cancer.
  - Cruciferous vegetables may have anticancer effects.
  - Fluoridated water helps decrease tooth decay, but may increase cancer risk.
  - Tea may lower cancer risk by blocking the activity of free radicals that damage cells.
  - Higher intakes of vitamin D or higher levels of vitamin D in the blood may be associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer.
Hormones
- Estrogens, a group of female sex hormones, are known human carcinogens. Although these hormones have essential physiological roles in both females and males, they have also been associated with an increased risk of certain cancers.
Immunosuppression
- Many people who receive organ transplants take medications to suppress the immune system so the body won’t reject the organ. These “immunosuppressive” drugs make the immune system less able to detect and destroy cancer cells or fight off infections that cause cancer.
Infectious Agents
- Certain infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites, can cause cancer or increase the risk that cancer will form.
Obesity
- People with obesity may have an increased risk of several types of cancer, including cancers of the breast (in women who have been through menopause), colon, rectum, endometrium (lining of the uterus), esophagus, kidney, pancreas, and gallbladder.
Radiation
- Radiation of certain wavelengths, called ionizing radiation, has enough energy to damage DNA and cause cancer.
Sunlight
- The sun, sunlamps, and tanning booths all give off ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Exposure to UV radiation causes early aging of the skin and damage that can lead to skin cancer.
Tobacco
- Tobacco use is a leading cause of cancer and of death from cancer. Cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer. In the United States, cigarette smoking is linked to about 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths. People who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke.
Physical activity
- Studies show that physically active people have a lower risk of certain cancers than those who are not. It is not known if physical activity itself is the reason for this.
Diabetes
- Some studies show that having diabetes may slightly increase the risk of having several different types of cancer.

Special Highlight: Practical Tips for College Students to Lower Cancer Risk

As a college student, adopting healthy habits now can reduce your risk of cancer later in life. Here are some practical steps you can take:

1. Protect Your Body from Harmful Exposure

Use Sunscreen: Apply SPF 30+ sunscreen daily, wear protective clothing, and avoid tanning beds to prevent skin cancer.
Get the HPV Vaccine: Protect against cancers caused by the human papillomavirus, including cervical and throat cancers.
Avoid Tobacco Products: Refrain from smoking or vaping, and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke.
Limit Alcohol Consumption: Drink in moderation—no more than one drink per day for women and two for men.
Avoid Carcinogens: Reduce exposure to harmful chemicals, such as asbestos, radon, and secondhand smoke, and use protective gear when needed.

2. Build Healthy Habits

Eat a Balanced Diet: Include plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Limit red and processed meats, fried foods, and charred meats.
Stay Active: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly.
Maintain a Healthy Weight: Balance calorie intake with activity to avoid obesity, a known risk factor for many cancers.
Practice Safe Sex: Use protection to reduce the risk of HPV and other infections linked to cancer.

3. Monitor Your Health

Undergo Regular Screenings: Keep up with doctor-recommended screenings like Pap smears, mammograms, and colonoscopies.
Perform Self-Exams: Learn how to perform breast or testicular self-exams and check regularly for unusual changes.
Stay Up to Date with Vaccines: Beyond HPV, consider vaccines for hepatitis B, which can help prevent liver cancer.

By making these small, sustainable changes, you can reduce your risk of cancer while improving your overall health and quality of life. Starting these habits in college sets the foundation for a lifetime of wellness.

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Health Assessment: Cancer Risk

Instructions

Additional Resources

Special Highlight: Practical Tips for College Students to Lower Cancer Risk

1. Protect Your Body from Harmful Exposure

2. Build Healthy Habits

3. Monitor Your Health

Cancer Risk and Prevention

Health Assessment: Cancer Risk

Instructions

Additional Resources

Special Highlight: Practical Tips for College Students to Lower Cancer Risk

1. Protect Your Body from Harmful Exposure

2. Build Healthy Habits

3. Monitor Your Health

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