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You get cancer when normal body cells go wrong in some way, and turn into cancer cells.
We don’t fully understand how or why this happens, but there are several factors that make it more likely that cells will become cancerous.
These factors include...
Your lifestyle
You are more likely to get cancer if, for example:
- you use tobacco
- you spend too much time in the sun, and don’t protect your skin
- you are exposed to certain substances or chemicals - asbestos, for instance
- you eat a diet high in fat and red meat, and low in fruit and vegetables.
Doing these things doesn’t mean you are certain to get cancer… but you will increase your risk.
Your age
Although people of any age can get cancer, it mainly affects older people. The longer you live, the more time your normal cells have to go wrong and become cancerous.
Certain viruses
Some viruses can trigger cells to become cancer cells. If you have hepatitis B, for example, you are more likely to get primary liver cancer.
Your immune system
If you have a problem with your immune system, or you are on long term treatment to suppress your immune system, you are more likely to get certain cancers. AIDS patients, for instance, have an increased cancer risk.
Your genetic make-up
You may have inherited a tendency to get cancer. In other words, you may have been born with a reduced ability to repair damaged cells.
Some of the cancers that may run in families are...
- breast cancer
- bowel (colorectal) cancer
- ovarian cancer
- some skin cancers
- prostate cancer
- retinoblastoma (a rare eye cancer).
For most people who get cancer, there is no family link. But there are regional genetics services throughout the UK where people from the Isle of Man with a significant family history of cancer may be offered genetic counselling and screening. The aim of screening is to work out a person’s cancer risk and to discuss what might be done either to prevent cancer developing or to detect it early.
It isn’t possible – or useful – to screen everyone. What counts as ‘significant family history’ varies from cancer to cancer. If you are concerned about a family history of cancer, please talk to your GP.
There is also more information on 'cancer and genetics' on this website - if you would like to read more click here.
Research is going on all the time into cancer and its causes. The more we understand, the better able we will be to treat it and prevent it in the future.
