Title: What are the causes of cancer? - Cancer Research Institute (CRI)
Headings: What are the causes of cancer?
What are the causes of cancer?
April 23, 2019
CRI Staff
When does cancer occur?
Cellular Definition of Cancer
Where does cancer occur?
Cancer’s Point of Origin
Can you inherit cancer?
Genetic Causes of Cancers
Does behavior or lifestyle cause cancer?
Behavioral Causes of Cancer
Can where you live or work cause cancer?
Environmental Causes of Cancer
Do viruses or bacteria cause cancer?
Viral and Bacterial Causes of Cancer

Content: Some dietary choices, including red meat and alcohol, have also been linked to certain types of cancer, while obesity is associated with higher rates of cancer as well, a link that CRI investigators Harvard Medical School’s Lydia Lynch, Ph.D., and University of California, San Diego’s Zhenyu Zhong, Ph.D., are independently exploring further. One’s diet can also affect the bacteria that reside within our intestines, known as the gut microbiome, and recent research by scientists, such as Johns Hopkins University’s Cynthia Sears, M.D., have revealed that certain bacteria can impact the likelihood of colorectal cancer development as well as patient responsiveness to treatment with immunotherapy. Can where you live or work cause cancer? Environmental Causes of Cancer
Exposure to certain factors in the environment, such as chemicals like asbestos and benzene, as well as talcum powder and various sources of radiation (including excessive X-rays), can also cause cancer. These substances capable of damaging DNA and triggering cancer are referred to as carcinogens. Excessive sun exposure (UV)
Chemical carcinogen exposure
High-dose chemotherapy and radiation (mainly in children being treated for existing cancers)
Hormonal drugs
Immune-suppressing drugs (taken by transplant recipients)
Radioactive materials, e.g., radon
In addition to other factors associated with aging and senescence, older individuals are more likely to have had exposure to environmental risk factors and are therefore diagnosed with cancer much more frequently than young people. When it comes to children with cancer, new immunotherapy approaches are providing for the possiblity of treating them not only more effectively, but also without some of the damaging side effects that can accompany conventional treatments. Do viruses or bacteria cause cancer? Viral and Bacterial Causes of Cancer
Theories surrounding bacterial causes of cancer date back over 100 years, put forth by the Father of Cancer Immunotherapy, Dr. William B. Coley. A person’s behavior and surroundings can expose them to bacteria and viruses known to cause cancer.