We all know that certain behaviors like smoking, spending too much time in the sun, drinking excessively or an unhealthy diet can put us at risk for developing cancer. But according to some new research published in Science, unlucky, random cell mutation is the reason behind two thirds of cancer cases.
Cristian Tomasetti and Bert Vogelstein of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center put forth the study, and even though there’s no downplay of how we can be proactive to reduce our chances of getting cancer, it’s clear that our risk is more of a roll of the dice than some might expect.
“All cancers are caused by a combination of bad luck, the environment and heredity, and we’ve created a model that may help quantify how much of these three factors contribute to cancer development,” Vogelstein said in a press release. “Cancer-free longevity in people exposed to cancer-causing agents, such as tobacco, is often attributed to their ‘good genes,’ but the truth is that most of them simply had good luck.”
The researchers found that the kinds of cancer that are part of that one third that is basically unavoidable include Glioblastoma (brain cancers), small intestine cancers and pancreatic cancers. One’s that are more avoidable due to lifestyle are basal cell carcinoma (a kind of skin cancer), lung cancer and colon cancer – which is most affected by poor diet and family genes.
This research only reinforces the idea that if we can’t always prevent it, the key to battling cancer is catching it as soon as possible. “We should focus more resources on finding ways to detect such cancers at early, curable stages.”
