Two thirds of cancer cases are caused by "random mutations" in cells, according to a study from Johns Hopkins.
Scientists at John Hopkins University School of Medicine studied 31 cancers and found, statistically speaking, that just nine cancer types had to do with more than bad luck.
“This study shows that you can add to your risk of getting cancers by smoking or other poor lifestyle factors. However, many forms of cancer are due largely to the bad luck of acquiring a mutation in a cancer driver gene regardless of lifestyle and heredity factors. The best way to eradicate these cancers will be through early detection, when they are still curable by surgery,” said Bert Vogelstein, M.D., an oncology professor involved in the study.