text: what really provoke cancer beside smoking?   there are many carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals). the source below has a list. besides chemicals, sun exposure, especially staying in the sun until burning is the leading cause of skin cancer. chewing tobacco causes throat and mouth cancer. exposure to radiation of a variety of sorts causes system-wide cancers. human pappillomavirus causes cervical cancer.  beyond direct causes, there are many genetic predispositions that can make it more possible to have cancer. basically, there are thousands of different things that can cause cancer. the site below has more information.