Who is most at risk for cancer?

Cancer risk increases due to controllable and uncontrollable factors. Often, a specific risk factor increases risk for a specific type of cancer. Behavioral risk factors include tobacco use, excess alcohol consumption, poor quality dietary patterns, obesity (with caveats), lack of physical activity, and excessive UV radiation. Other modifiable risk factors include viral infection (i.e. HPV) and environmental exposures like aflatoxin and air pollution).^[1] Some risk factors for cancer cannot be changed. Few genetic mutations cause cancer, but many genetic mutations interact with other exposures to increase or decrease cancer risk. This is called the “two-hit hypothesis”.^[2]