Cancer often feels like it comes out of nowhere. It can strike people who seem perfectly healthy, and many wonder if there was anything they could have done to prevent it. A new study from Yale University helps answer this difficult question by looking at what really causes cancer, especially the changes in our DNA that can lead to it.
DNA is like a set of instructions inside our cells. It tells each cell how to grow, work, and repair itself. Over time, these instructions can get damaged or changed. These changes are called mutations. Some mutations don’t cause any harm, but others can make cells grow too fast or in the wrong way. When that happens, a tumor may form, which is the start of cancer.
In this study, researchers looked at 24 types of cancer to understand where these mutations came from. Were they caused by things we can avoid, like smoking or sun exposure? Or were they caused by things we can’t control, like aging or random mistakes in the way our cells copy their DNA?
This question matters a lot. Some cancers are clearly linked to behavior. For example, smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, and too much time in the sun without sunscreen raises the risk of skin cancer. These are things people can avoid. But for other cancers, the causes are more mysterious.
The Yale researchers found that some types of cancer are mostly preventable. For instance, they discovered that many bladder and skin cancers were linked to harmful exposures or risky habits. That means making certain lifestyle changes—like quitting smoking or using sunscreen—could lower the chance of getting these cancers.
But they also found that other cancers, such as prostate cancer and certain brain tumors called gliomas, were mostly caused by things we can’t do much about.
These cancers seemed to come from the natural aging process or from small errors that happen randomly when cells make copies of their DNA. This means that even people who live very healthy lives can still develop these cancers.
One important use of this research is in public health. In areas where many people have cancer, it’s helpful to know which types are linked to avoidable risks.
If a town or workplace shows a high number of a preventable cancer, it could be a sign that people there are being exposed to something dangerous, like polluted air or toxic chemicals. Health officials can then take action to protect the community.
It’s also important to remember that this study focused on just one kind of mutation. There are other ways DNA can be damaged, like when big sections of a chromosome get copied or moved around. These more complicated changes also play a role in cancer, and researchers are still studying them.
Even with these limits, the Yale study is a big step forward. It helps us see that while some cancers are out of our hands, others can be avoided with better habits and safer environments. That’s a message of both caution and hope.
The more we understand about what causes cancer, the better chance we have of stopping it before it starts. And that knowledge can save lives—not just by leading to better treatments, but by showing us how to prevent cancer in the first place.
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