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Oncology (Cancer)/Hematology
- What is Cancer?
- Prevention and Risk Factors
- Signs and Symptoms
- Treatment
Prevention and risk factors
A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lungs, mouth, throat, larynx, bladder, and several other organs. It is important to remember, however, that these factors increase a person's risk but do not always "cause" the disease. Many people with one or more risk factors never develop cancer, while others with this disease have no known risk factors. It is important, however, to know about risk factors so that appropriate action can be taken, such as changing a health behavior or being monitored closely for a potential cancer.
All cancers caused by cigarette smoking and heavy use of alcohol could be prevented completely. The ACS estimates that in 1998 about 175,000 cancer deaths are expected to be caused by tobacco use and an additional 19,000 cancer deaths are related to excessive alcohol use, frequently in combination with tobacco use.
Many cancers that are related to dietary factors could also be prevented. Scientific evidence suggests that up to one-third of the 564,800 cancer deaths expected to occur in the US this year are related to nutrition.
In addition, many of the one million skin cancers that are expected to be diagnosed in 1998 could have been prevented by protection from the sun's rays.
What is Cancer? | Prevention and Risk Factors
Signs and Symptoms | Treatment