Although the relationship between specific risk factors and acquired gene mutations is not always clear, risk factors are thought to increase the likelihood of cancer by increasing the likelihood of DNA damage. People with no known risk factors develop cancer. In general, however, cancer is more likely to develop in an individual with risk factors, than in an individual without risk factors. Different types of cancer are associated with different sets of risk factors. Other cancers are more common in women.
Different mutations increase risk for different cancers.
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