Nine In 10 Cancers Caused By Lifestyle

Up to nine in 10 cancers are caused by environmental and external factors such as smoking, drinking, sun exposure and air pollution, a new scientific study has found.

Research has previously suggested that random cell mutations played a big role in the development of tumours - a finding dubbed the 'bad luck hypothesis'.

But scientists now think outside influences have a greater impact. This means many cancers may be more preventable than previously thought.

The finding is pretty controversial as it suggests that people could slash their risk of ever getting cancer if they just made lifestyle changes such as keeping out of the sun, exercising or cutting down on cigarettes.

One British statistician said that the results showed that between 70 and 90 per cent of cancers would not occur if we could ‘magic away’ all the external risk factors.

The new research follows on from a study published earlier this year which suggested that 65 per cent were inevitable and driven by random mistakes in cell division which are completely outside of our control.

The more times cells divide, the greater the chances that a mutation can occur, leading to cancer, Johns Hopkins University said in January, and claimed it explained why areas of the body where cell division occurred more quickly, such as the colon, were more likely to develop tumours.

However the new study, by Stony Brook University in New York, suggests that cancer incidence is far too high to be explained away by simple mutations in cell division.

Put simply, if random mutations were to blame, there would be far fewer cases of cancer than there actually are.

Nearly 75 per cent of the risk of colorectal cancer is now believed to be due to diet.

Likewise 86 per cent of the risk of skin cancer is down to sun exposure while 75 per cent of chance of developing head and neck cancers is due to tobacco and alcohol, according the the new research.

Some cancers are driven by rare genetic mutations, still.

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