Some Cancers May Just Be Due To Bad Luck

A new study shows that having most types of cancers may actually be the result of "bad luck."

A statistical model created by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center shows that approximately two-thirds of adult cancer cases are caused by random DNA mutations that occur when stem cells divide, leaving the remaining third up to environmental factors or inherited genes.

"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," said researcher Bert Vogelstein, in a news 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."

For the study, scientists charted stem cell division in 31 tissues and compared the rates with the lifetime risks of cancer in the same tissues among Americans. Findings showed that lifestyle choices and habits weren't quite as important when it came to getting some of these fatal diseases. In fact, scientists found that the focus was more on early detection and treatment of trying to prevent the health problem, which occurs when tissue-specific stem cells make random mistakes or mutations in chemical letters of the DNA. The more mutations, the more the cancer risk.

"Our study shows, in general, that a change in the number of stem cell divisions in a tissue type is highly correlated with a change in the incidence of cancer in that same tissue," Vogelstein explained.

Furthermore, the researchers discovered 22 cancer types that could largely be explained by "bad luck" factors of random DNA mutations. Yet predictably, big name cancers such as lung cancer, skin cancer and other forms of cancer associated with hereditary syndromes that have more to do with environmental and inherited factors than just circumstantial issues.

However, researchers have noted that breast and prostate cancer were not included in the research.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Science.

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