You can take steps every day to 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 six kinds of cancer, including breast cancer and colorectal cancer.
• About 40% of all cancers are associated with overweight and obesity.

Screening Tests

Screening tests can find breast, cervical, and colorectal (colon) cancers early, when treatment works best. Lung cancer screening is recommended for some people who are at high risk.

Breast Cancer Screening

Mammograms are the best test to find breast cancer early. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a group of experts, recommends that you get a mammogram every two years if you’re 50 to 74 years old and are at average risk for breast cancer. If you’re 40 to 49 years old, ask your doctor when to start and how often to get a mammogram.

Cervical Cancer Screening

Two screening tests can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early. The Pap test (or Pap smear) looks for cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if they are not treated appropriately. The HPV test looks for the virus (human papillomavirus) that can cause these cell changes. You should get screened for cervical cancer regularly starting at age 21.

Colorectal Cancer Screening

Most people should start getting screened for colorectal cancer soon after turning 45, and get screened regularly until they’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

The Task Force 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.

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.

Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms.

What Are the Symptoms?

There are different symptoms of breast cancer, and some people have no symptoms at all. Symptoms can include—

• Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.
• Pain in any area of the breast.
• Nipple discharge other than breast milk (including blood).
• A new lump in the breast or underarm.

If you have any signs that worry you, see your doctor right away.

What Are the Risk Factors?

Some main factors that affect your chance of getting breast cancer include—

• Being a woman.
• Being older. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older.
• Having changes in your BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.

How Can I Lower My Risk?

You can do things to help lower your breast cancer risk.

• Keep a healthy weight and exercise regularly.
• Choose not to drink alcohol, or drink alcohol in moderation.
• If you are taking hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills, ask your doctor about the risks.
• Breastfeed your children, if possible.

Fast Facts About Breast Cancer

• Each year in the United States, about 264,000 women get breast cancer and 42,000 women die from the disease.
• Men also get breast cancer, but it is not very common. About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man.
• Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women.

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.

Learn the symptoms of cancers that start in a woman’s reproductive organs and how to lower your risk.

Gynecologic cancers are cancers of women’s reproductive organs. The five main types are cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar cancer.

What Are the Symptoms?

These could be symptoms of a gynecologic cancer—

• Pelvic pain or pressure that doesn’t go away, and you don’t know why.
• Feeling too full, too fast, even when you eat just a little.
• Unusual vaginal bleeding, like having longer or heavier periods than what’s normal for you, or bleeding after you’ve gone through menopause.

It is important to pay attention to your body and know what is normal for you, so you can recognize the symptoms of gynecologic cancer. If you notice anything unusual and it goes on for two weeks or longer, see a doctor.

How Can I Lower My Risk?

You can lower your risk for some gynecologic cancers with a vaccine and screening tests.

HPV Vaccine

Some gynecologic cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus. The HPV vaccine can help prevent cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers.

Cervical Cancer Screening Tests

Cervical cancer is the only gynecologic cancer that has recommended screening tests. The Pap test (or Pap smear) and HPV test can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early.

Hereditary Ovarian Cancer

Several hereditary conditions can raise your chance of getting cancer. Two of the most common are hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and Lynch syndrome. If you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, you may have a higher ovarian cancer risk. Talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk.

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sex. There are many types of HPV. Some HPV types can cause changes on a woman’s cervix that can lead to cervical cancer over time, while other types can cause genital or skin warts.

HPV is so common that most people get it at some time in their lives. HPV usually causes no symptoms so you can’t tell that you have it. For most women, HPV will go away on its own; however, if it does not, there is a chance that over time it may cause cervical cancer.

Other things can increase your risk of cervical cancer—

• Having HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) or another condition that makes it hard for your body to fight off health problems.
• Smoking.
• Using birth control pills for a long time (five or more years).
• Having given birth to three or more children.
• Having several sexual partners.

There is no way to know for sure if you will get ovarian cancer. Most women get it without being at high risk. However, several factors may increase a woman’s risk for ovarian cancer, including if you—

• Are middle-aged or older.
• Have close family members (such as your mother, sister, aunt, or grandmother) on either your mother’s or your father’s side, who have had ovarian cancer.
• Have a genetic mutation (abnormality) called BRCA1 or BRCA2, or one associated with Lynch syndrome.
• Have had breast, uterine, or colorectal (colon) cancer.
• Have an Eastern European or Ashkenazi Jewish background.
• Have endometriosis (a condition where tissue from the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body).
• Have never given birth or have had trouble getting pregnant.

In addition, some studies suggest that women who take estrogen by itself (without progesterone) for 10 or more years may have an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

If one or more of these factors is true for you, it does not mean you will get ovarian cancer. But you should speak with your doctor about your risk. If you or your family have a history of ovarian cancer, speak to your doctor about genetic counseling.

There is no way to know for sure if you will get uterine cancer. Some women get it without being at high risk. However, several factors may increase the chance that you will get uterine cancer, including if you—

• Are older than 50.
• Are obese (have an abnormally high, unhealthy amount of body fat).
• Take estrogen by itself (without progesterone) for hormone replacement during menopause.
• Have had trouble getting pregnant, or have had fewer than five periods in a year before starting menopause.
• Take tamoxifen, a drug used to treat certain types of breast cancer.
• Have close family members who have had uterine, colon, or ovarian cancer.

If one or more of these things is true for you, it does not mean you will get uterine cancer. But you should speak with your doctor to see if he or she recommends more frequent exams.

There is no way to know for sure if you will get vaginal or vulvar cancer. Some women get these cancers without being at high risk. However, several factors may increase the chance that you will get vaginal or vulvar cancer, including if you—

• Are infected with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) for a long time.
• Have had cervical precancer (cell changes that might become cancer if they are not treated appropriately) or cervical cancer.
• Have had vulvar or vaginal precancer.
• Have a condition that weakens your immune system (such as HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS), making it hard for your body to fight off health problems.
• Smoke. Among women who have an HPV infection, smoking may prevent the body’s immune system from getting rid of the HPV infection.
• Have chronic vulvar itching or burning.

If one or more of these things is true for you, it does not mean you will get vaginal or vulvar cancer. But you should speak with your doctor to see if he or she recommends more frequent exams.

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.

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.

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.