Who is at risk of getting cancer?

Cancer can affect all walks of life regardless of background and economic status. However, cancer risk is higher if you:

A. Aged over 55 years

Cancer is a disease that increases the risk as you age. The more senior you are, the greater your risk of cancer. In children and teenagers, the cancer is relatively rare. More than half of cancers strike after age sixty. The main reason why new cancers arise in old age is a slow growth. Development of cancer is sometimes very slow and can only be detected at an advanced stage. Cancer can develop for years without you knowing it.

2. Overweight (obese)

If your BMI is 30 or more, you have obesity. Experts have concluded that cancer of the colon, breast, endometrium (lining of the uterus), kidney, and esophagus are associated with obesity. Several studies have also reported an association between obesity and cancer of the gallbladder, ovaries, and pancreas.

Prevent weight gain may reduce the risk of cancer. The experts advise you to maintain healthy eating habits and physical activity early in life to prevent overweight and obesity. Those who are overweight or obese are advised to avoid additional weight gain, and lose weight through low calorie diet and exercise. Even the weight loss is only 5-10 percent of the total weight can be beneficial to health.

3. Smoke

You must have known that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer. Nearly 90% of deaths from lung cancer in men and 80% in women are caused by smoking. However, note also that smoking may trigger development of other cancers, namely cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, bladder, stomach, kidney, cervix, and pancreas. Cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemicals. More than 40 of which are cancer-triggering substances (carcinogens).

4. Cancer have a genetic predisposition

In most patients, the cause of sporadic cancer is the result of progressive accumulation of genetic mutations and / or epigenetic changes in a lifetime. This is called somatic mutations, which affect only certain tissues and not inherited. On the other fraction, cancers caused by inherited gene defects. Some people are born with a gene mutation inherited from their mother or father. Defective gene is a tumor suppressor gene usually makes them susceptible to cancer.

Patients with inherited cancer often have cancer at a younger age than the general population and 50% chance to pass on their susceptibility to its offspring.