According to a study in the United States, two genetic mutations from the three responsible for the development of cancer are provoked by errors in cell division, a key process in the regeneration of the body. This conclusion, however, can cause a lot of controversy.
“There is ample evidence that changing certain factors, such as stoping smoking or avoiding obesity, reduces the risk of developing cancer. However, every time a normal cell divides and copies its DNA to form two new cells, it makes many mistakes, but this aspect has long been ignored from a scientific point of view. These errors are “important causes of genetic mutations responsible for cancer, and this factor was underestimated as one of the main causes of this disease” says the professor.
Heredity plays a role only in 5% of cases
“A total of 66% of cancer mutations are caused by errors in cell division, while 29% are caused by environmental factors and lifestyle, and only 5% of cases are hereditary,” said the co-director of the University Scientific Center.
“For the most part, these mutations are harmless, but sometimes they occur in a gene that causes cancer, which is pure bad luck,” the scientist said.
Controversial theory
Professors of the American University Clinic John Hopkins published their first controversial study in 2015. They suggested that random DNA mutations, in other words, failure, are most often responsible for cancer.
In the study, published as early as the end of 2015, the opposite view was presented. It stated that most cancers are caused by environmental factors, such as smoking, chemicals or exposure to ultraviolet rays.
“We must continue to encourage the public to avoid the use of carcinogenic chemicals, as well as not to lead a lifestyle that increases the risk of developing cancer mutations,” says another professor. According to him, the results of recent epidemiological studies indicate that about 40% of cancers can be prevented with the help of a healthy lifestyle.
As we see, so far between scientists there has been a heated debate on the causes of oncological diseases, and to this day doctors do not have a common opinion on this issue.