Introduction

If the word ‘cancer’ refers to a condition that affects only personal physical health, the term ‘cancer village’ implies a problem that goes beyond the individual. This is because the term ‘village’ refers not only to the physical and social location in which a community of people resides, but also to the community itself. In pre-modern times, rural areas of China were mainly comprised of villages and so this social unit has special significance. The phenomenon of ‘cancer villages’ has therefore become a subject of debate not only among residents of villages themselves, but also among outsiders and even the national government. ‘Cancer villages’ have also become a topic of social science research. At the same time, the problem of cancer villages can be understood from many different perspectives. These can be simply grouped into internal and external factors, in the sense that they relate to whether pollution is generated from within or outside the community and to whether illness is caused by individual behaviour or the impact of external factors, including pollution.

In medical science, it is generally considered that the risk factors for cancer include: (1) Genetic factors. The probability of getting certain types of cancer varies widely across racial groups, and men and women are prone to different cancers. (2) Diet and nutritional status.