Risk Factors for Cancer: Explained

What is a Risk Factor?

The National Cancer Institute defines a risk factor as, “something that increases the chance of developing a disease”. This definition, when applied to cancer, could mean a genetic predisposition, such as a certain cancer gene type. It could also be something like tobacco or alcohol, which, when consumed in high amounts over a period of time, can have devastating health complications. There are certain risk factors for cancer that cannot be controlled, like family history, while others, like obesity, alcohol, and tobacco can be controlled and avoided.

Common Risk Factors for Pediatric Cancer

The main risk factors for pediatric cancer include family history, genetic predispositions, and environmental effects. The most common childhood cancer is leukemia (blood cancer), which has been notably linked to a “genome-wide single nucleotide variant (SNV)”, according to the National Library of Medicine. The National Library of Medicine also recorded data that suggests demographics could be a risk factor in pediatric cancer. Such factors are that males generally get cancer more often than females and that white, non-Hispanic, and Hispanic children are the three groups with the highest number of pediatric cancer cases. Currently, demographics are not a set-in-stone risk factor, but the more advanced genetic studies become, the easier it will be for scientists to determine why children get cancer.

Due to childhood cancer being quite rare, there are only so many studies that can be done with this small number of patients. According to the National Cancer Institute, about “15,000 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States in individuals younger than 20 years”. The risk factors for childhood cancer are not entirely conclusive, the National Library of Medicine notes only small correlations to “birth weight, parental age, birth defects, and common genetic variation” as being possible pediatric cancer risk factors.

Environmental risk factors such as “high dose ionizing radiation and prior chemotherapy” are some only known, definite causes of childhood cancer, according to the National Library of Medicine. In an analysis done by Environmental Health Perspectives, there was a strong correlation between maternal pesticide exposures during pregnancy and ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia). No other environmental factors had definite correlations to cancer, and more studies are required to come to a firm conclusion.

Common Risk Factors for Adult Cancer

Specific adult risk factors for cancer include obesity, alcohol, tobacco, and prior family history. To begin with, being obese or overweight does not automatically mean someone will develop cancer, which is why it is a risk and not a definite event. This just means that if someone’s risk factors can be elevated by being obese, it usually means either that the person can develop cancer more easily and that it may reoccur even after it has been treated.

Consuming alcohol is a common risk factor for cancer in adults. According to Medicine Net, consuming alcohol in large amounts can result in a high risk of developing “mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx (voice box), liver, and breast cancers.” According to Medicine Net, using tobacco for an extended time or being around someone who smokes can lead to many negative effects. Some of these include a higher risk of “lung, larynx (voice box), mouth, esophagus, throat, bladder, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas, colon and rectum, and cervix cancers”.

As far as a family history of cancers, certain things can determine the risk factor for certain cancers. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), something that could contribute to someone’s risk level would be if a close relative or multiple relatives, such as a parent, sibling, uncle, or grandmother was diagnosed with ovarian, uterine, breast, or colorectal cancers before the age of 50.

These are just a few of the risk factors for adults, and they are not indicators that someone will develop cancer. Risk factors are just a good way to determine the chance that someone may develop a certain disease or illness. Looking for ways to prevent risk factors from increasing is a good preventative measure to reduce the risk of getting cancer.