Final answer:
Smoking cigarettes is a voluntary risk factor for cancer that individuals can control through their behavioral choices. Avoiding tobacco use can significantly lower the risk of developing various types of cancers, including lung cancer, making it a key preventable cause of cancer-related deaths.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among the options provided, smoking cigarettes is a risk factor for cancer that can be controlled by individual choices, and therefore is considered a voluntary or avoidable lifestyle choice. Tobacco smoking is a well-established environmental risk factor for at least 90% of human cancers and is particularly linked to lung cancer. Unlike genetic factors, such as a family history of lung cancer, or external environmental factors like air pollution (smog), which individuals have less control over, smoking is a behavior substantially within an individual's ability to modify.
Engaging in tobacco use introduces numerous carcinogens into the body and is responsible for 90% of lung cancer cases. It also increases the risk of various other cancers, including those of the larynx, head, neck, stomach, bladder, kidney, esophagus, and pancreas. Moreover, exposure to second-hand smoke poses a significant cancer risk not only to smokers but to non-smokers as well.
Therefore, by making the choice not to smoke, individuals can significantly reduce the risk of developing cancer. This embodies the essence of voluntary risk factors that can be mitigated by personal decision-making and lifestyle changes.