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Most cancer types 'just bad luck'

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Most types of cancer can be put down to bad luck rather than risk factors such as smoking, a study has suggested.

A US team were trying to explain why some tissues were millions of times more vulnerable to cancer than others.

The results, in the journal Science, showed two thirds of the cancer types analysed were caused just by chance mutations rather than lifestyle.

However some of the most common and deadly cancers are still heavily influenced by lifestyle.

And Cancer Research UK said a healthy lifestyle would still heavily stack the odds in a person's favour.

In the US, 6.9% of people develop lung cancer, 0.6% brain cancer and 0.00072% get tumours in their laryngeal (voice box) cartilage at some point in their lifetime.

Toxins from cigarette smoke could explain why lung cancer is more common.

But the digestive system is exposed to more environmental toxins than the brain, yet brain tumours are three times as common as those in the small intestine.

Root of cancer
The team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health believe the way tissues regenerate is the answer.

Old tired cells in the body are constantly being replaced with new ones made by dividing stem cells.

But with each division comes the risk of a dangerous mutation that moves the stem cell one step closer to being cancerous.

The pace of turnover varies throughout the body with rapid turnover in the lining of the gut and a slower pace in the brain.

_80004716_c0119580-bone_cancer,_x-ray-spl.jpg

The researchers compared how often stem cells divided in 31 tissues in the body over a lifetime with the odds of a cancer in those tissues.

They concluded that two thirds of cancer types were "due to bad luck" from dividing stem cells picking up mutations that could not be prevented.

These cancer types included Glioblastoma (brain cancers), small intestine cancers and pancreatic cancers.

Cristian Tomasetti, an assistant professor of oncology and one of the researchers, said a focus on prevention would not prevent such cancers.

"If two thirds of cancer incidence across tissues is explained by random DNA mutations that occur when stem cells divide, then changing our lifestyle and habits will be a huge help in preventing certain cancers, but this may not be as effective for a variety of others.

"We should focus more resources on finding ways to detect such cancers at early, curable stages."

Poor lifestyle
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The remaining third of cancer types, which are affected by lifestyle factors or a heightened family risk, include some of the most common:

  • Basal cell carcinoma - a type of skin cancer made more common by too much UV exposure
  • Lung cancer - strongly linked to smoking
  • Colon cancer - increased by poor diet and family risk genes
Separate research by Cancer Research UK shows more than four in 10 of the total number of cancers were down to lifestyle.

Dr Emma Smith, senior science information officer at the charity, told the BBC: "We estimate that more than four in 10 cancers could be prevented by lifestyle changes, like not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and cutting back on alcohol.

"Making these changes is not a guarantee against cancer, but it stacks the odds in our favour.

"It's vital that we continue making progress to detect cancer earlier and improve treatments, but helping people understand how they can reduce their risk of developing cancer in the first place remains crucial in tackling cancer."

@halupridol , @thesolar65 , @levina and others .

BBC News - Most cancer types 'just bad luck'
 
I also partially agree, for men its Prostate and for women its cervical and breast. Though they have found a vaccine for cervical form. But many are also self made like, smoking, tobacco chewing, bad food habbits, working envirnoment etc.
actually the Ca Cervix is not about luck, it is due to HPV infection thats why there is a vaccine for that.
 
I'm not sure since when 've the scientists started to believe in luck??
Its just that these scientists 've not been able to give a plausible explanation as to how cancerous cells begin to multiply in the body.
I also partially agree, for men its Prostate and for women its cervical and breast. Though they have found a vaccine for cervical form. But many are also self made like, smoking, tobacco chewing, bad food habbits, working envirnoment etc.
That vaccine doesnt protect against all types of cancer-causing HPV. Vaccines protect against four types of HPV and these are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers.
worst is something like cervical cancer starts showing symptoms when its already too late and what 're considered as the possible reasons causing this cancer 're infact less important reasons.
 
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Imho cancer is just evolution. What works will make it through, what doesn't, will die off.
 
Anything can be blind luck until the limited brain of someone comprehends it. All cells have probability of going malignant and there is a certain biological mechanism which has evolved to counter it. Some guy just have to understand under what all conditions that counter fails.
 
actually the Ca Cervix is not about luck, it is due to HPV infection thats why there is a vaccine for that.
In India Ca Cervix is due to poor hygiene, while in the West its due to HPV and frequent coitus at young age which results in erosion of the cervical cells.
 
I'm not sure since when 've the scientists started to believe in luck??
Its just that these scientists 've not been able to give a plausible explanation as to how cancerous cells begin to multiply in the body.

That vaccine doesnt protect against all types of cancer-causing HPV. Vaccines protect against four types of HPV and these are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers.
worst is something like cervical cancer starts showing symptoms when its already too late and what 're considered as the possible reasons causing this cancer 're infact less important reasons.

Given that the sensationalism of the article had taken a hit if they said it's based on probability and mutation of genes, then why not luck.
 
I'm not sure since when 've the scientists started to believe in luck??
Its just that these scientists 've not been able to give a plausible explanation as to how cancerous cells begin to multiply in the body.

That vaccine doesnt protect against all types of cancer-causing HPV. Vaccines protect against four types of HPV and these are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers.
worst is something like cervical cancer starts showing symptoms when its already too late and what 're considered as the possible reasons causing this cancer 're infact less important reasons.
The luck in this case is a 50:50 chance of how a telomerase activity can happen, Sometimes it happens more and sometimes it happens less depending on many factors and catalysts, normally young cells do it in a perfect manner with the TUMOR SUPPRESIVE GENES and other checks and balances ensure they come out as normal cells. But as cells regenerate over and over again there is a chance of mistakes happening in base pairs , mutations and the chance those tumor and mutation suppression checks and balances might not work.So yeah the more older the cell is the more chance of mutation it has.
But it is also a fact that good genes are passed on from one generation to other in families,that is why so are more prone to diseases and cancers while some families have perfect health and live upto 100 years.
That is your cue if a family has its members who live upto 100 years or 80's then it points to no mutations and good genes along with all the suppression factors working in.
The below diagram describes the cell cycle and how mutations can take place in G0,G1,S,G2,M phases


Animal_cell_cycle.svg.png
 
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