Risk Factors

A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease. Some risk factors you can control (like diet), while others you can't control (like family history). Learn what the risk factors are for cancer, and what you can do to reduce your risk of getting it.

Risk Factors

What Is Cancer and Why Do People Get It?

Cancer is caused by abnormal cells in your body that divide uncontrollably and create masses called tumors. We don’t know why this happens, but we do know that certain risk factors can cause it to happen.

Every person is different, so one or many risk factors may cause cancer. A risk factor that causes cancer in one person, might not in another. Some of these are factors we can control and some we can’t. Here at LCP, we focus on the risk factors that we can control to help avoid cancers that are preventable.

The two controllable factors that cause the most cancer are tobacco and obesity.

In fact, tobacco and obesity are the two leading causes of all death and disease in Louisiana, the United States, and the world.

Why? For most of human history, we died of sudden illnesses like plague, typhoid, or flu. Today, we die of slower-growing diseases like cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, etc. – almost all of which are caused by tobacco and obesity.

So, if you want to reduce your risk of cancer, don’t smoke and watch your weight!

What Can You Do?

Focus on the risk factors that you can control to help avoid cancer and stay healthy!

Breast Cancer Risk Factors You Control
  • Weight – Being overweight or obese raises your risk.
  • Physical Activity – Not being active raises your risk.
  • Alcohol – Drinking raises your risk.
  • Number of Children – Having had no children or a first child after age 30 increases risk.
  • Oral Contraceptive Use – Certain forms have been found to raise risk.
Cervical Cancer Risk Factors You Control
  • Rarely or Never Screened
  • Early Age Sexual Activity, Increasing Number of Lifetime Sexual Partners (Increases HPV risk)
  • Smoking – Current, past tobacco smoking increases risk of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.
  • Oral Contraceptive Use – Long-term use (greater than 10 years; possible slight increase after 5 years) increases risk for cervical squamous cell carcinoma.
  • More Than three (3) Full-Term Pregnancies
Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors You Control
  • Diets High in Red & Processed Meats – Beef, pork, lamb, liver, hot dogs and some luncheon meats have been shown to increase risk, while cooking meat at very high temperatures (frying, broiling, or grilling) creates chemicals that might increase risk.
  • Obesity – Raises the risk of colorectal cancer, especially in men.
  • Physical Inactivity
  • Smoking – Smoking is a well-known cause of lung cancer, but it is also linked to other cancers, including colorectal.
  • Heavy Alcohol Use – Limiting alcohol use to no more than two (2) drinks a day for men and one (1) drink a day for women has many health benefits, including a lower risk of colorectal cancer.
Lung Cancer Risk Factors You Control
  • Cigarette Smoking