U.S. National Institutes of Health www.cancer.gov
spacer
What Are Risk Factors? email this page to a friendemail this page

Anything that may increase the chance of developing cancer is a risk factor. Risk factors for cancer can be grouped into four types:

 
Behavioral risk factors
Environmental risk factors
Biological risk factors
Genetic risk factors
 

Find out more:
Carcinogens Most common risk factors for cancer  

Test your knowledge of risk factors:

What type of risk factors are age and race? Age and race are considered to be:
Click on your choice:

  1. Physical risk factors
     
  2. Biological risk factors
     
  3. Genetic risk factors

Environmental risk factors include:
Click on your choice:

  1. Both risks that you can control and cannot control
     
  2. Only risks that are totally out of your control
     
  3. Only risks that are absolutely controllable

Listed below are several risk factors. Do you know what TYPE of risk factor each one is?

Secondhand smoke is what type of risk factor?
                 

Age is what type of risk factor?
                 

Smoking is what type of risk factor?
                 

A family history of colon cancer is what type of risk factor?.
                 


Fill in the blanks to indicate whether each risk factor is controllable or uncontrollable.

Family history of cancer is 

Sun exposure is 

Exposure to toxic substances at work is 

Diet is 

Gender is 


Contact Us | Policies | Accessibility | Viewing Files | FOIA

A Service of the National Cancer Institute

National Cancer Institute Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health USA.gov