NEW YORK: Most cases of cancer result of biological bad luck instead caused by genes or environmental factors, with the random partition of stem cells making people more vulnerable to mutations, a new study shows.
A formula that plotted the number of stem-cell divisions over a lifetime against the risk of cancer showed a correlation and explained two-thirds of cases, according to a research paper published this week in the journal Science. The study, conducted by mathematician Cristian Tomasetti and geneticist Bert Vogelstein of Johns Hopkins University, hinges on previously published cancer statistics.
The research may bolster arguments that cancer often can’t be prevented, with risky behavior such as smoking and excessive exposure to the sun being less of a factor than chance. That would support focusing more resources on diagnosing the disease in early stages and on treatments to reduce death rates.
