Cancer

The major risk factors for cancer are: tobacco, alcohol, diet, sexual and reproductive behavior, infectious agents, family history, occupation, environment and pollution.

According to the estimates of the American Cancer Society (ACS), approximately 40% of the cancer deaths in 1998 were due to tobacco and excessive alcohol use. An additional one-third of the deaths were related to diet and nutrition. Many of the one million skin cancers that are expected to be diagnosed each year are due to overexposure to ultraviolet light from the sun's rays.