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Doctors can not always
explain why one person gets cancer and another does not. However, scientists
have studied general patterns of cancer in the population to learn what
things around us and what things we do in our lives may increase our chance
of developing cancer.
Anything that increases
a person's chance of developing a disease is called a risk factor;
anything that decreases a person's chance of developing a disease is called
a protective factor. Some of the risk factors for cancer can be avoided,
but many can not. For example, although you can choose to quit smoking,
you can not choose which genes you have inherited from your parents.
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In
the United States, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer
deaths in men and women
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Both smoking and inheriting
specific genes could be considered risk factors for certain kinds of cancer,
but only smoking can be avoided. Prevention means avoiding the risk factors
and increasing the protective factors that can be controlled so that the
chance of developing cancer decreases.
Although many risk
factors can be avoided, it is important to keep in mind that avoiding
risk factors does not guarantee that you will not get cancer. Also, most
people with a particular risk factor for cancer do not actually get the
disease. Some people are more sensitive than others to factors that can
cause cancer.
Talk to your doctor
about methods of preventing cancer that might be effective for you.
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