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Cancer Risk and Prevention | Cancer Causes | Stay Healthy

There's no sure way to prevent cancer, but you can help reduce your risk by making healthy choices like eating right, staying active, and not smoking.

Learn about Cancer Causes

Find out what we know about the factors that can affect your cancer risk.

Some types of cancer run in certain families, but most cancers are not clearly linked to the genes we inherit from our parents. Gene changes that start in a single cell over the course of a person's life cause most cancers.

Having excess body weight can have far-reaching health consequences, including raising your risk for certain types of cancer. Learn more about the link between excess body weight and cancer here.

How to Lower Your Risk

More in Risk and Prevention

Exposure to radiation can increase the risk of cancer. Learn more about the different types of radiation and how exposure might affect your cancer risk.

Get the facts about these known, possible, and unlikely environmental causes of cancer.

In the United States and other developed countries, a small portion of cancers are thought to be linked to infections. Learn more here.

Some types of tests and treatments may actually increase a person's risk of developing cancer. Get the facts about possible links between certain medical procedures and cancer.