Men have higher rates of getting and dying from cancer than women. You can lower your chance of getting certain kinds of cancer.

Most cancers take years to develop. Many things can affect your chance of getting cancer. Things that raise your chance of getting cancer are called risk factors.

You can’t control some risk factors, like getting older. But you can control many others. In fact, there are things you can do every day to avoid getting cancer. Two of the most important things you can do are making healthy choices and getting the screening tests that are right for you.

Healthy Choices

Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to lower your cancer risk. Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body. If you don’t smoke, make sure you stay away from other people’s smoke.

The link between smoking and cancer is well-known. But you may be surprised by other things that can lead to cancer.

• Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or artificial sources like a tanning bed, booth, or sunlamp can cause skin cancer, the most common cancer.
• Drinking alcohol raises your risk of getting five kinds of cancer, including liver cancer and colorectal cancer.
• About 40% of all cancers are associated with overweight and obesity.

Screening Tests

Screening means checking your body for cancer before you have symptoms. All screening tests have benefits and harms. Screening is recommended when the benefits outweigh the harms.

Colorectal Cancer Screening

If you’re 45 to 74 years old, get screened regularly.

You should start getting screened for colorectal cancer soon after turning 45, and get screened regularly until you’re 75. Several screening tests are available. Some can be done at home, and others are done in a doctor’s office. Talk to your doctor about which test is right for you.

Lung Cancer Screening

Screening is recommended for people who are 50 to 80 years old and are current or former heavy smokers.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of experts, recommends yearly lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for people who are 50 to 80 years old, have a history of heavy smoking, and smoke now or quit within the past 15 years.

Prostate Cancer Screening

Middle-aged men should talk to their doctor about the possible benefits and harms of screening.

The goal of screening for prostate cancer is to find cancers that may be at high risk for spreading if not treated, and to find them early before they spread. However, most prostate cancers grow slowly or not at all.

A blood test called a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is commonly used to screen for prostate cancer. If you are thinking about being screened, learn about the possible benefits and harms of screening, and talk to your doctor about your personal risk factors.

Cancer is often called a disease of DNA, since tumors develop when cells divide uncontrollably, and in many cases DNA mutations that affect the copying of DNA are to blame. Researchers today know, however, that cancers are very different from each other — almost different enough to look like a completely different health condition. In addition, as scientists learn more about the molecular roots of disease, they can classify cancers based upon molecular signatures. These signatures can aid in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. In addition to being different from one another the same type of cancer can be quite different in females and males. Here are a few examples.

• Between 2001 and 2010, prostate cancer was the most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. men of all races and ethnic groups.
• The most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. women was breast cancer, but lung cancer is the leading cause of death among cancers in women of all races and ethnic groups except Hispanic women, for which breast cancer is the leading killer in U.S. women.
• Some studies suggest that female cancer patients are more likely to experience inadequate pain management than male patients, but more studies are needed.
• Research comparing cell lines from women to cell lines from men reported sex differences in DNA damage to cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke. For a given number of cigarettes smoked, females appear to be at higher risk of developing lung cancer than males.
• Females are less prone to liver cancer than males (humans and mice given a liver carcinogen), possibly due to estrogen's protective effect against inflammation in the liver.

Although it is rare, men can get breast cancer. Learn about symptoms of breast cancer in men and things that may increase your risk.

Breast cancer is most often found in women, but men can get breast cancer too. About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man.

The most common kinds of breast cancer in men are the same kinds in women—

• Invasive ductal carcinoma. The cancer cells begin in the ducts and then grow outside the ducts into other parts of the breast tissue. Invasive cancer cells can also spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body.
• Invasive lobular carcinoma. Cancer cells begin in the lobules and then spread from the lobules to the breast tissues that are close by. These invasive cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body.
• Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a breast disease that may lead to invasive breast cancer. The cancer cells are only in the lining of the ducts, and have not spread to other tissues in the breast.

What Are the Symptoms?

The most common symptoms of breast cancer in men are—

• A lump or swelling in the breast.
• Redness or flaky skin in the breast.
• Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
• Nipple discharge.
• Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.

These symptoms can happen with other conditions that are not cancer. If you have any symptoms or changes, see your doctor right away.

What Are the Risk Factors?

Several factors can increase a man’s chance of getting breast cancer. Having risk factors does not mean you will get breast cancer.

• Getting older. The risk for breast cancer increases with age. Most breast cancers are found after age 50.
• Genetic mutations. Inherited changes (mutations) in certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, increase breast cancer risk.
• Family history of breast cancer. A man’s risk for breast cancer is higher if a close family member has had breast cancer.
• Radiation therapy treatment. Men who had radiation therapy to the chest have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
• Hormone therapy treatment. Drugs containing estrogen (a hormone that helps develop and maintain female sex characteristics), which were used to treat prostate cancer in the past, increase men’s breast cancer risk.
• Klinefelter syndrome.Klinefelter syndrome is a rare genetic condition in which a male has an extra X chromosome. This can lead to the body making higher levels of estrogen and lower levels of androgens (hormones that help develop and maintain male sex characteristics).
• Certain conditions that affect the testicles. Injury to, swelling in, or surgery to remove the testicles can increase breast cancer risk.
• Liver disease. Cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver can lower androgen levels and raise estrogen levels in men, increasing the risk of breast cancer.
• Overweight and obesity. Older men who are overweight or have obesity have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than men at a normal weight.

What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk?

If several members of your family have had breast or ovarian cancer, or one of your family members has a known BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, share this information with your doctor. Your doctor may refer you for genetic counseling. In men, mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes can increase the risk of breast cancer, high-grade prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

If genetic testing shows that you have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, your doctor will explain what you should do to find cancer early, if you get it.

All men can lower their risk by keeping a healthy weight and exercising regularly.

How Is Breast Cancer Treated?

As in women, treatment for breast cancer in men depends on how big the tumor is and how far it has spread. Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy.

Your risk of getting colorectal cancer increases as you get older. Other risk factors include having—

• Inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
• A personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps.
• A genetic syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome).

Lifestyle factors that may contribute to an increased risk of colorectal cancer include—

• Lack of regular physical activity.
• A diet low in fruit and vegetables.
• A low-fiber and high-fat diet, or a diet high in processed meats.
• Overweight and obesity.
• Alcohol consumption.
• Tobacco use.

Anyone can get colorectal cancer, but certain factors make you more likely to develop it:

• Being older; your risk of getting colorectal cancer increases as you age.
• Having a personal or family history of colorectal cancer.
• Having a history of adenomas. Adenomas are colorectal polyps (growths) that look abnormal under a microscope or are 1 centimeter or larger. Adenomas are not cancer, but they can sometimes turn into cancer over time.
• Having a genetic syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer).
• Having chronic ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease for 8 years or more.
• Having three or more alcoholic drinks per day.
• Smoking cigarettes.
• Being Black; Black people have an increased risk of colorectal cancer and death from colorectal cancer compared to other races.
• Having obesity.

Research has found several risk factors that may increase your chances of getting lung cancer.

Smoking

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. Using other tobacco products such as cigars or pipes also increases the risk for lung cancer. Tobacco smoke is a toxic mix of more than 7,000 chemicals. Many are poisons. At least 70 are known to cause cancer in people or animals.

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. Even smoking a few cigarettes a day or smoking occasionally increases the risk of lung cancer. The more years a person smokes and the more cigarettes smoked each day, the more risk goes up.

People who quit smoking have a lower risk of lung cancer than if they had continued to smoke, but their risk is higher than the risk for people who never smoked. Quitting smoking at any age can lower the risk of lung cancer.

Cigarette smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body. Cigarette smoking causes cancer of the mouth and throat, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, voicebox (larynx), lung, trachea, bronchus, kidney and renal pelvis, urinary bladder, and cervix, and causes acute myeloid leukemia.

Secondhand Smoke

Smoke from other people’s cigarettes, pipes, or cigars (secondhand smoke) also causes lung cancer. In the United States, one out of four people who don’t smoke, including 14 million children, were exposed to secondhand smoke during 2013 to 2014.

Radon

After smoking, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that forms in rocks, soil, and water. It cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled. When radon gets into homes or buildings through cracks or holes, it can get trapped and build up in the air inside. People who live or work in these homes and buildings breathe in high radon levels. Over long periods of time, radon can cause lung cancer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon causes about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year. The risk of lung cancer from radon exposure is higher for people who smoke than for people who don’t smoke. However, the EPA estimates that more than 10% of radon-related lung cancer deaths occur among people who have never smoked cigarettes. Nearly one out of every 15 homes in the United States has high radon levels.

Other Substances

Examples of substances found at some workplaces that increase risk include asbestos, arsenic, diesel exhaust, and some forms of silica and chromium. For many of these substances, the risk of getting lung cancer is even higher for those who smoke. Living in areas with higher levels of air pollution may increase the risk of getting lung cancer.

Personal or Family History of Lung Cancer

If you are a lung cancer survivor, there is a risk that you may develop another lung cancer, especially if you smoke. Your risk of lung cancer may be higher if your parents, brothers or sisters, or children have had lung cancer. This could be true because they also smoke, they live or work in the same place where they are exposed to radon and other substances that can cause lung cancer, or because of an inherited genetic mutation.

Radiation Therapy to the Chest

Cancer survivors who had radiation therapy to the chest are at higher risk of lung cancer.

Diet

Scientists are studying many different foods and dietary supplements to see whether they change the risk of getting lung cancer. There is much we still need to know. We do know that people who smoke and take beta-carotene supplements have increased risk of lung cancer.

Also, arsenic and radon in drinking water (primarily from private wells) can increase the risk of lung cancer.

Human papillomavirus infection may increase the risk of developing penile cancer.

Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn't mean that you will not get cancer. Talk with your doctor if you think you may be at risk. Risk factors for penile cancer include the following:

Circumcision may help prevent infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). A circumcision is an operation in which the doctor removes part or all of the foreskin from the penis. Many boys are circumcised shortly after birth. Men who were not circumcised at birth may have a higher risk of developing penile cancer.

Other risk factors for penile cancer include the following:

• Being age 60 or older.
• Having phimosis (a condition in which the foreskin of the penis cannot be pulled back over the glans).
• Having poor personal hygiene.
• Having many sexual partners.
• Using tobacco products.

All men are at risk for prostate cancer. Out of every 100 American men, about 13 will get prostate cancer during their lifetime, and about 2 to 3 men will die from prostate cancer.

The most common risk factor is age. The older a man is, the greater the chance of getting prostate cancer.

Some men are at increased risk for prostate cancer. You are at increased risk for getting or dying from prostate cancer if you are African-American or have a family history of prostate cancer.

African-American Men

• Are more likely to get prostate cancer than other men.
• Are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than white men.
• Get prostate cancer at a younger age, tend to have more advanced disease when it is found, and tend to have a more severe type of prostate cancer than other men.

Family History

• Men who have a father, son, or brother who had prostate cancer are at increased risk for getting prostate cancer.
• Men with three or more first-degree relatives (father, son, or brother), or two close relatives on the same side of the family who have had prostate cancer may have a type of prostate cancer caused by genetic changes that are inherited.

Men who are not African-American and do not have a family history of prostate cancer are at average risk.

Anyone can get skin cancer, but people with certain characteristics are at greater risk—

• A lighter natural skin color.
• Skin that burns, freckles, reddens easily, or becomes painful in the sun.
• Blue or green eyes.
• Blond or red hair.
• Certain types and a large number of moles.
• A family history of skin cancer.
• A personal history of skin cancer.
• Older age.

Exposure to UV Rays

Regardless of whether you have any of the risk factors listed above, reducing your exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays can help keep your skin healthy and lower your chances of getting skin cancer in the future. Most people get at least some UV exposure from the sun when they spend time outdoors. Making sun protection an everyday habit will help you to enjoy the outdoors safely, avoid getting a sunburn, and lower your skin cancer risk.

Do You Have a Sunburn?

Learn the symptoms of sunburn, get first aid tips, and find out when to seek medical care.

Indoor tanning (using a tanning bed, booth, sunbed, or sunlamp to get tan) exposes users to high levels of UV radiation for the purpose of getting a tan. When UV rays reach the skin’s inner layer, the skin makes more melanin. Melanin is the pigment that colors the skin. It moves toward the outer layers of the skin and becomes visible as a tan.

A tan does not indicate good health. A tan is your skin’s response to injury, because skin cells signal that they have been hurt by UV rays by producing more pigment. Any change in skin color after UV exposure (whether it is a tan or a burn) is a sign of injury, not health. Over time, too much exposure to UV rays can cause skin cancers including melanoma (the deadliest type of skin cancer), basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. UV exposure can also cause cataracts and cancers of the eye (ocular melanoma). Every time you tan, you increase your risk of getting skin cancer.

• Orchiopexy: surgical placement of an undescended testis. The risk factor here is the scrotal surgery, not the procedure itself.
• Age: most common in young adults 20-40 years
• Race: whites are 6 times more likely to develop testicular cancer than blacks
• Vasectomy: surgical separation of the seminal vesicles for contraception. The risk factor here is the scrotal surgery, not the vasectomy.
• Testicular trauma: crushing injury, blunt trauma (such as getting kneed in the groin) and other accidental injuries; risk of cancer is not known but is under investigation.
• Other: Orchitis (inflammation of the testicle); irradiation
• Men with a history of hernia
• Men with extra nipples
• Men with a history of infertility problems
• Men with cryptorchidism or undescended testes—the failure of one or both testicles to descend from the pelvis (about 10 percent of men with testicular cancer have a history of cryptorchidism)

You can lower your risk of getting cancer by making healthy choices like–

• Avoiding tobacco.
• Protecting your skin.
• Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink.
• Keeping a healthy weight.
• Getting tested for hepatitis C.

Avoiding Tobacco

Cigarette Smoking

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, and cigarette smoking causes almost all cases. Compared to nonsmokers, current smokers are about 25 times more likely to die from lung cancer. Smoking causes about 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths. Smoking also causes cancer of the mouth and throat, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, voicebox (larynx), trachea, bronchus, kidney and renal pelvis, urinary bladder, and cervix, and causes acute myeloid leukemia.

Secondhand Smoke

Adults who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20% to 30%. Concentrations of many cancer-causing and toxic chemicals are higher in secondhand smoke than in the smoke inhaled by smokers.

Protecting Your Skin

Skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer in the United States. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and tanning beds appears to be the most important environmental factor involved with developing skin cancer. To help prevent skin cancer while still having fun outdoors, protect yourself by seeking shade, applying sunscreen, and wearing sun-protective clothing, a hat, and sunglasses.

Limiting Alcohol Intake

Studies around the world have shown that drinking alcohol regularly increases the risk of getting mouth, voice box, and throat cancers.

A large number of studies provide strong evidence that drinking alcohol is a risk factor for primary liver cancer, and more than 100 studies have found an increased risk of breast cancer with increasing alcohol intake. The link between alcohol consumption and colorectal (colon) cancer has been reported in more than 50 studies.

Keeping a Healthy Weight

Research has shown that being overweight or having obesity raises a person’s risk of getting some cancers, including endometrial (uterine), breast in postmenopausal women, and colorectal cancers. Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29, and obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher.

Getting Tested for Hepatitis C

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, which is most often caused by a virus. In the United States, the most common type of viral hepatitis is Hepatitis C. Over time, chronic Hepatitis C can lead to serious liver problems including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. CDC recommends that anyone who was born between 1945 and 1965 get tested for Hepatitis C.