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A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting
a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk
factors. For example, strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer,
and smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lung, larynx (voice
box), mouth, throat, esophagus, kidneys, bladder, and several other
organs.
But risk factors don't tell us everything. Having a known risk
factor, or even several risk factors, does not mean that you will get
the disease. And many people who get the disease may not have had any
known risk factors.
Not much is known about why lung carcinoid tumors develop in
some people but not in others.
Tobacco smoke
Typical lung carcinoid tumors do not seem to be linked with
smoking or with any known chemicals in the environment or workplace.
But some studies have found that atypical lung carcinoids may be more
common in people who smoke.
Gender
Carcinoids occur more often in women than in men. The reasons
for this are not known.
Race/ethnicity
Lung carcinoids are more common in whites than in African
Americans, Asian Americans, or Hispanics/Latinos.
Age
These tumors are usually found in people around 60 years old,
which is slightly younger than the average age for other types of lung
cancer. But carcinoids can occur in people of almost any age. Although
it is rare, lung carcinoid tumors are sometimes even found in children.
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1
People with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1, an
inherited syndrome) are at high risk for tumors in the pancreas and in
the pituitary and parathyroid glands. They also seem to be at increased
risk for lung carcinoid tumors.
Family history
Most people with lung carcinoid tumors do not have a family
history of this type of cancer, but a tendency to develop lung
carcinoid tumors can be inherited. In rare cases, several family
members have been diagnosed with this cancer. But because this cancer
is so uncommon, the risk is still low.
Last Medical Review: 03/09/2009
Last Revised: 03/09/2009
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