Cancer is a disease in which some cells in the body grow uncontrollably and spread to different parts of the body [1]. There are more than a hundred types of cancer and cancer types are named according to the type of cell that forms cancer, such as epithelial cell or squamous cell, and the organs or tissues where cancers occur [1]. It was responsible for approximately 1 of every 6 deaths in the world in 2020 [2]. According to GLOBOCAN 2020 data, the incidence of cancer in the world was 19,292,789, its mortality was 9,958,133, and its five-year prevalence was 50,550,287. Lung, colorectal, liver, and stomach cancers were the most common types of cancer that caused death in 2020 [2]. Cancers with the highest incidence are breast, lung, colorectal and prostate cancers [2]. It is expected that 1,918,030 new cases and 609,360 cancer-related deaths will occur in 2022 in the USA [3]. Moreover, it is expected that new cases will be most frequently caused by breast, prostate, lung and colorectal cancers, and the most common death will be from lung, colorectal, pancreatic and breast cancer [3]. The lifetime risk of developing cancer has been reported as 39.9% [3]. In 2020, there were 233,824 reported cancer cases in Turkey, with the most common ones being breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers. The cancer mortality number was 126,335, the most common cancers causing death were lung, breast, prostate, and stomach [2].
Approximately one third of cancer deaths are caused by tobacco use, obesity, alcohol consumption, malnutrition, and lack of physical activity [4]. Cancer-causing infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis are responsible for approximately 30% of cancer cases in low- and middle-income countries [4]. It is argued that 30–50% of cancers can be prevented by being mindful about cancer risk factors (CRF), avoiding risk factors and applying evidence-based prevention strategies [4]. Cancer prevention may include maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding cancer-causing substances, and using medicine or vaccines that can prevent cancer from developing [5]. Risk factors that a person can control are called modifiable risk factors.
Among the modifiable CRF, the most important ones are tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, HPV infection and malnutrition. It has been stated that smoking causes approximately 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States [5]. Smoking is strongly associated with an increased risk for many types of cancer (acute myeloid leukemia, kidney cancer, lung cancer, oral cancer, …..) [5]. HPV increases the risk of penile, vaginal, anal, cervical, and oropharyngeal cancer [5]. Other important CRFs such as alcohol use can cause mouth, colorectal, liver cancer and obesity can cause breast cancer, colorectal cancer, kidney cancer [5].
Studies have found that high school and university students [6], teachers [7] and the general population [8] have lack of knowledge about CRF. In this study, we aimed to determine the medical students’ knowledge level of about CRF.