Three Of The Most Common Cancers For Women

Cancer is one of the top health issues facing women today and there are certain types of cancers that women are more likely to get than men. Here are three of the most common cancers for women.

Breast Cancer

It may seem obvious that breast cancer is more common for women than for men. However, while breast cancer for men is rare, it does still happen. Unfortunately, this type of cancer is very common among women, as one in eight of them living in the United States will get an invasive form of it.

With the exception of lung cancer, the death rates for breast cancer are higher than any other type of cancer. In the year 2018, over 40,000 women will die from breast cancer. Besides being a woman, the other factor that increases the chances of getting breast cancer is age.

Lung Cancer

Of all the cancers that a woman can get, lung cancer is the most deadly. In 2018, lung cancer is expected to be the cause of death for 70,500 women in the United States. This means that lung cancer will affect more women than the combined total of breast cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer. While smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, other risk factors include:

• Being exposed to secondhand smoke
• Being exposed to radon or asbestos
• Inhaling certain chemicals such as arsenic, nickel compounds, and mustard gas

A few other things that can increase a woman's chances of getting lung cancer is air pollution and a family history of this type of cancer.

Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer refers to any cancer that affects the colon and the rectum. While more men than women die from colorectal cancer, it is a common type of cancer for women as well. In 2014, over 51,000 people died from colorectal cancer in the United States, with 24,517 of them being women. Some of the most common risk factors associated with colorectal cancer include:

• Age
• Alcohol use
• Obesity
• A diet high in animal proteins and low in fiber

Other risk factors include having a family history of colorectal cancer and having a past diagnosis of breast, ovary, or uterine cancer.

For all of these types of cancers, early detection is very important. This is why it's crucial for a woman to schedule her routine screenings with a women's health physician. Doing so will enable the physician to detect cancer early, thereby decreasing the chances of the cancer becoming fatal. For more information, contact a company like Johnson  City Ob-Gyn.