Is bad luck the leading cause of cancer?
"Most cancers are caused by random mistakes in the genetic code when cells divide out of the blue, new research shows," the Daily Mail reports. But this is an oversimplification of research that looked at the role spontaneous random mutations play in the development of certain cancers.
It's well known that environmental and hereditary factors are the cause of many cancers. This study looked at the influence of a third factor: random genetic mutations that occur by chance as the body's cells repeatedly divide.
Researchers analysed cancer registry data from 69 countries worldwide to estimate the proportion of cancers that could be down to chance. They estimated just over a third of cancers worldwide could be down to chance mutations.
But the research has two key limitations, both of which the researchers openly acknowledge. First, these figures are only estimates and may not be accurate. And second, it would be a mistake to think cancers can only have one cause. A combination of all three factors – environmental, hereditary and luck – could all contribute towards a specific cancer risk.
(Source: www.nhs.uk)
It is possible to infer based on the text:
