Risk Factors and Prevention

A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer. Some risk factors can be controlled, such as smoking, and some cannot be controlled, such as age and family history. Although risk factors can influence the development of cancer, most do not directly cause cancer. Some people with several risk factors never develop cancer, while others with no known risk factors do.

Doctors and researchers don’t know what causes most childhood cancers. A small percentage of cancers can be linked to the genetic disorder Down syndrome, other inherited genetic abnormalities, and previous radiation treatment. Environmental causes (exposure to infectious and toxic substances) are also suspected as a potential cause of some types of childhood cancer.

Set up so doctors can learn more about risk factors, the Childhood Cancer Research Network is a study coordinated by the Children's Oncology Group and is intended to become a North American registry of childhood cancer. Once registered with the network, patients and families may be asked if doctors and researchers can contact them in the future to collect information for studies on genetic and environmental factors that may be connected to the development of childhood cancers.

Because specific causes have not been identified for each individual childhood cancer, the way to prevent childhood cancer is still unknown.