In terms of cancer, risk refers to a person’s statistical chance of getting the disease in their lifetime. This risk is made up of information gleaned about that individual regarding the known risk factors for cancer.
What is a risk factor?
A risk factor is something which has been scientifically demonstrated to have a proven association to cancer anything that can raise or lower a persons chance of getting it.
Some can be controlled hence the concept of reducing your risk and some cannot. Nevertheless, knowing about the risk factors that cannot be controlled may be important for early detection and for making informed treatment choices.
General risk factors
| General risk factors for cancer are: - age
- family history
- lifestyle choices, such as smoking, body weight and diet
- environmental exposure such as smoke from other peoples cigarettes and excessive sun exposure
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Specific cancers have varying factors hence the risk of different types for the same person may vary.
Risk factors combine together with different effects in different people. Some people are more sensitive than others.
It is worth remembering that these risk factors are general. They cannot tell any individual person whether they will or will not get cancer; all they can do is predict general trends and give an assessment of risk. This is not black and white. Just because you have one or more risk factors does not mean you will definitely get cancer and equally, avoiding risk factors does not guarantee that you wont.
Body weight and fitness
Recent research has suggested that up to a third of cancers of the colon, breast and kidney can be attributed to insufficient physical activity and excessive weight. As such, this represents one of the most important avoidable causes for the disease.
Indeed, limiting weight gain can reduce the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer and that of the colon, endometrium, kidney and oesophagus. Whats more, regular physical activity can also reduce the risks.
The benefits for maintaining a healthy weight and indulging in moderate physical exertion with respect to cancer are now evident - but remember these measures also have further implications with an overall reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
03/06/2009
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