The review presents some aspects of the role of anthropogenic activity in the risks of the appearance of malignant neoplasms. The life expectancy of a modern person is steadily increasing due to the improvement of social conditions, adherence to a healthy lifestyle, improvement of medical care, etc. However, oncological pathology is one of the leading causes of the quality of life and life expectancy decreasing among older individuals in most countries. The possibility of influencing the incidence of cancer and avoiding its growth lies in understanding and studying the risk factors of its occurrence. Most leading experts consider that only 20% of cases of malignant neoplasms are caused by gene mutation, and the rest are caused by a person’s lifestyle. The article presents the main factors of the external environment that can reverse affect human health and are associated with cancer development, defines the term “carcinogen”, and shows their leading groups. Contact with chemical carcinogens occurs mainly in the process of a person’s professional activity, primarily in industrial and agricultural production.

The polluted environment is another important source of toxic influence on the human body and is responsible for 1-4% of oncology cases in economically developed countries. Ionizing and ultraviolet radiation are physical agents that can provoke the development of leukemia, skin cancer, etc. Human behavioral factors, in particular, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, and limited physical activity, are also significant risk factors for malignant neoplasms occurrence. Most carcinogens, responsible for the lion’s share of cancers, are usually anthropogenic and subject to influence. For this purpose, it is essential to engage society to promote and create conditions for a healthy lifestyle and generation of the model of health as a considerable component of the nation’s wealth.

Keywords: review, carcinogens, malignant neoplasms, causes of leukemia, behavioral human factors.