![]() The environment around you may contain harmful chemicals that can increase your risk of cancer. Some chronic health conditions, such as ulcerative colitis, can markedly increase your risk of developing certain cancers. Keep in mind that having an inherited genetic mutation doesn't necessarily mean you'll get cancer. You might be a candidate for genetic testing to see whether you have inherited mutations that might increase your risk of certain cancers. If cancer is common in your family, it's possible that mutations are being passed from one generation to the next. Only a small portion of cancers are due to an inherited condition. ![]() You can change these habits to lower your risk of cancer - though some habits are easier to change than others. Smoking, drinking more than one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men, excessive exposure to the sun or frequent blistering sunburns, being obese, and having unsafe sex can contribute to cancer. Your habitsĬertain lifestyle choices are known to increase your risk of cancer. While it's more common in older adults, cancer isn't exclusively an adult disease - cancer can be diagnosed at any age. That's why most people diagnosed with cancer are 65 or older. Factors known to increase your risk of cancer include: Your ageĬancer can take decades to develop. While doctors have an idea of what may increase your risk of cancer, the majority of cancers occur in people who don't have any known risk factors. It's likely that this varies among cancer types. It's not clear just how many mutations must accumulate for cancer to form. Your inherited gene mutation could make you more likely than other people to develop cancer when exposed to a certain cancer-causing substance. Instead, you may need one or more other gene mutations to cause cancer. The gene mutations you're born with and those that you acquire throughout your life work together to cause cancer.įor instance, if you've inherited a genetic mutation that predisposes you to cancer, that doesn't mean you're certain to get cancer. How do gene mutations interact with each other? This could cause a cell to become cancerous. However, cells contain a mechanism that recognizes when a mistake occurs and repairs the mistake. Gene mutations occur frequently during normal cell growth. A number of forces can cause gene mutations, such as smoking, radiation, viruses, cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens), obesity, hormones, chronic inflammation and a lack of exercise. Most gene mutations occur after you're born and aren't inherited. Gene mutations that occur after birth.This type of mutation accounts for a small percentage of cancers. ![]() You may be born with a genetic mutation that you inherited from your parents. Gene mutations can occur for several reasons, for instance: But many other gene mutations can contribute to causing cancer. These mutations are the most common ones found in cancer. A mutation in a DNA repair gene may mean that other errors aren't corrected, leading cells to become cancerous. DNA repair genes look for errors in a cell's DNA and make corrections. Make mistakes when repairing DNA errors.A mutation in a tumor suppressor gene allows cancer cells to continue growing and accumulating. Cancer cells lose the controls (tumor suppressor genes) that tell them when to stop growing. ![]() Normal cells know when to stop growing so that you have just the right number of each type of cell.
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