Risk Factor-Associated Cancers

What to know

Cancer registries do not routinely collect risk factor information. So estimates for risk factor-associated cancers are based only on cancer type.

Overview

Although cancer represents many heterogeneous diseases, some cancer types share common risk factors.1 For example, conclusive evidence links several cancers with alcohol use, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, obesity, physical inactivity, and tobacco use.23456

Using standard definitions for risk factor-associated cancers facilitates comparisons of cancer burden across states and communities. Although cancer may occur among people who were not exposed to a risk factor, population-based risk factor-associated cancer rates can help identify communities with high cancer rates. Clinical preventive services and community-based approaches can help reduce risk factors. Cancer surveillance data can track the effectiveness of these approaches.

Definitions of risk factor groupings

Alcohol-associated cancers27

  • Colon and rectum.
  • Esophagus.
  • Female breast.
  • Larynx.
  • Liver.
  • Oral cavity and pharynx.

HPV-associated cancers3891011

  • Microscopically confirmed carcinoma of the cervix.
  • Squamous cell carcinomas of the vagina, vulva, penis, anus, rectum, and oropharynx.

Obesity-associated cancers4512

  • Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus.
  • Breast (in postmenopausal women).
  • Colon and rectum.
  • Endometrium (corpus uterus).
  • Gallbladder.
  • Gastric cardia.
  • Kidney (renal cell).
  • Liver.
  • Ovary.
  • Pancreas.
  • Thyroid.
  • Meningioma.
  • Multiple myeloma.

Physical inactivity-associated cancers512

  • Breast cancer (in postmenopausal women).
  • Colon.
  • Endometrium (corpus uterus).

Tobacco-associated cancers6

  • Acute myeloid leukemia.
  • Cervix.
  • Colon and rectum.
  • Esophagus.
  • Kidney and renal pelvis.
  • Larynx.
  • Liver.
  • Lung, bronchus, and trachea.
  • Oral cavity and pharynx.
  • Pancreas.
  • Stomach.
  • Urinary bladder.

The ICD-O-3 site and histology codes used to define these five variables are available in Definitions of Risk Factor-Associated Cancers.

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
  1. Henley SJ, Singh SD, King J, Wilson RJ, O'Neil ME, Ryerson AB. Invasive cancer incidence and survival—United States, 2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;66:69–75.
  2. International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Volume 100E: Personal Habits and Indoor Combustions: Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2012.
  3. International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Volume 90: Human Papillomaviruses. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2007.
  4. Lauby-Secretan B, Scoccianti C, Loomis D, Grosse Y, Bianchini F, Straif K. Body fatness and cancer—viewpoint of the IARC Working Group. N Engl J Med. 2016;375:794-798.
  5. World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute for Cancer Research. Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: A Global Perspective. Continuous Update Project Expert Report 2018.
  6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2014.
  7. International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans: Volume 96: alcohol consumption and ethyl carbamate. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer 2010;96.
  8. Watson M, Saraiya M, Ahmed F, et al. Using population-based cancer registry data to assess the burden of human papillomavirus-associated cancers in the United States: overview of methods. Cancer. 2008;113(10 Suppl):2841–2854.
  9. Saraiya M, Unger ER, Thompson TD, et al. U.S. assessment of HPV types in cancers: implications for current and 9-valent HPV vaccines. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2015;107(6):djv086.
  10. Viens LJ, Henley SJ, Watson M, et al. Human papillomavirus–associated cancers—United States, 2008–2012. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65(26):661–666.
  11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cancers linked with HPV each year. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed May 16, 2024.
  12. Eheman C, Henley SJ, Ballard-Barbash R, et al. Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, 1975–2008, featuring cancers associated with excess weight and lack of sufficient physical activity. Cancer. 2012;118:2338–2366.