to think people who think cancer is caused by lifestyle choices are ignorant?

[user19201881]

I have a work colleague who thinks that cancer is always caused by lifestyle choices - drinking, smoking, obesity etc. I have had cancer and find this sort of attitude quite upsetting.
I know of 6 people under the age of 40 who have/had cancer and none of them smoke, rarely drink and are not obese. It can't just be down to lifestyle otherwise children wouldn't get cancer.

I've known quite a few people get cancer under 40, and sadly also quite a few who died, including one while we were still at school.

@FannythePinkFlamingo DH also has had cancer due to Lynch syndrome. Hope you're doing okay.

I have a friend who has had cancer in her 30s, with some lifestyle factors mentioned, but doesn't mean she doesn't deserve sympathy.

I hated how when DH's cancer was mentioned people often asked if he smoked and someone told me he should have followed a vegan diet to avoid it.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33. Although tested negative for any "dodgy" genes I have a very strong family history so I'd imagine there is a heavy genetic element there.

My take for what it's worth - people don't want to consider it could happen to them so they "other" it. So "it happened to x because they smoked". "It happened to y because they're a bit big". If you can assign a reason, you can stop it happening to you. It's just a bit of denial. Before I was diagnosed, like everyone I just presumed I'd grow old. Even though after my treatment I have been told I have a very good chance of it never coming back, I fully appreciate that life is very fragile and anything can happen. I don't think you have that true awareness if you've not been through something like that. So making cancer something that happens to other people allows you to keep presuming you'll live forever

Of my friend group from uni (7 people under 40) 3 of them have had cancer. None of the 3 smoke, drink to excess or are overweight. Your colleague is talking out of her arse.

I know many more people that have cancer and it seems to be dumb luck as to why they got it. Similarly I know smokers, fat people and binge drinkers that don't have cancer.

https://www.wcrf-uk.org/preventing-cancer/how-do-we-know-cancer-can-be-prevented/

This is worth a look. Lots of cancers are random but there are things you can do to reduce your risk of developing some cancers.

By contrast I do not know anyone personally that has had cancer.
I know of people (friend of friend for example), but not one person I would count as friend or family.
So I'm not surprised the PP doesn't know of anyone under 40.

@MichaelAndEagle I suspect that there might be a sampling bias. People who click on the cancer thread are more likely to be people who have been personally affected by cancer. Still, feeling rather fortunate that I've made it to my mid 30s without experiencing one of my peers going through this.

Colleague is ignorant and could definitely cause great distress.

However Ignoring that some behaviour increases the risk of cancer would be irresponsible. As regards an individual for example with their doctor, family in terms of establishing good diet and society with the smoking ban.

Being healthier won’t stop you getting any cancer. It may reduce the risk for some people. It may also make you fit enough to withstand treatment. My very healthy cousin died of cancer leaving two children. The health gave strength to withstand treatment and gave extra time. (Of course general fitness isn’t just lifestyle- I have underlying conditions that mean I wouldn’t withstand that treatment however good my lifestyle, but a better lifestyle won’t harm me).

I agree. My best friend got bowel cancer at the age of 19 - it was just really bad luck. Remember once being lectured by a nutritionist who claimed this was all down to lifestyle - made me fume!

You obviously don't know a lot of people or read or watch TV. Are you living under a rock?

@VWHoliday Well I wasn't counting people on tv as people I know 

I went to uni, have had various different jobs, lived in different parts of the country, but I've fortunately never personally known a young person get cancer (though obviously I'm aware that they can get it). I know a couple of people over 50 who have had it.

My dad had lung cancer never smoked!

You cant argue with stupid. Not worth even trying.
This. I would avoid the subject with my colleague. Did she not read about Deborah James, a lifelong vegan and ex-gymnast who died of bowel cancer at 40? So many examples of fit, healthy young people dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

I'm pretty sure by far the majority of people know that's not the case.

I do believe an unhealthy lifestyle increases your chances and that a healthy lifestyle won't necessarily protect you.

Has anyone ever said to you that they belief you caused your own cancer by your lifestyle choices?

I personally know of at least six under 40s to get cancer; three who died.

Just want to mention not all lung cancers are caused by smoking. My FiL died from lung cancer, he never smoked in his life...the amount of people who assumed he 'caught' it from smoking was unbelievable.
OP I agree with you up to a point, I actually think genetics plays a huge part, add in the environmental exposure and then the chances of a cell mutating get higher.

My great grandmother (old) had lung cancer, never smoked a day in her life. But she was a district nurse.
My dad (59) had gastric cancer. Never smoked but drank wine like a fish also had helicobacter pylori.
A friend (old) had cancer of the epiglottis and hadn't smoked for 30 years.
My sister in law (40) had bowel cancer. She smoked and was overweight.
Sometimes lifestyle is a contributing factor but not always and I don't believe cancer is caused just by lifestyle.
I also knew several 90+ folk who smoked until the day they died and no sign of cancer at all.

Lifestyle factors increase the likelihood and risk for certain cancers, that is true. But I agree with OP - people who spout nonsense about cancer being a lifestyle consequence are morons. I got very upset with DH once when he suggested a man I worked with had died of bowel cancer before he was 60 due to "stress".

For people who have been lucky enough not to know anyone with cancer, trust me, that is very much what you are - lucky. I lost a friend to cancer when I was 16 - watching him waste away was horrifying. A friend lost her 5 year old a few years ago.

One thing I'll add is that even if your lifestyle factors are part of the reason for it, nothing annoys me more than when people jump straight to that. My father had throat cancer. And yes, he smoked heavily for 25 years before giving it up in his 40s. But nothing offended me more than when people heard the first question they'd ask was, "is he a smoker"? I always wanted to say, "yes, he was a smoker so of course, neither him nor I deserve any sympathy." Wankers.

My 9 year old got cancer. The pediatric oncology ward is packed to the brim with newborn babies - teens with cancer.

I'm sorry to hear that. My statement, as you can see, wasn't an absolute "all lung and bladder cancer is caused by smoking" that would be a daft statement to make.

It makes people feel better if they think there is a reason. We are hardwired to believe that everything must have a cause because then we can kid ourselves that it couldn’t happen to us. It’s a defence mechanism. The reality is that if lifestyle choices caused cancer then no toddlers would ever get it. Sometimes it is just random and there is no reason.

I had cancer investigations and the questions I was asked by the consultant were
Did I have a family history of cancer
Did I smoke
Had I ever worked with asbestos
Had I had contact with chemicals
How much did I drink

A variety of factors . Nothing about diet or weight .

Utter harmful nonsense about lifestyle causing cancer

Thinking that NO cancers are caused by lifestyle is as stupid and thinking NONE are.

OP's colleague was wrong, but so are many people on this thread.
Some are, some are not.

ALL are, that is

Yes, it's the same for diabetes.

Too many people think lifestyle is the only cause of ill health because that's what they hear on TV or see in the news.

Sadly environmental is a huge part of the picture is your bodies predisposition to illness.
EG Man made chemicals are in our food, water, on our clothes and furniture and because the body has no way of ridding itself of them.

Pp's have some very sad experiences. I am one who also knows of no-one under 40 who has had cancer. My best friend died of cancer at 42, my dad at 68, all the rest have been elderly.

Despite all of these dreadful experiences, age, is in fact the biggest risk factor. Cancers in babies and the young are rare on a population level. Less than 1% each.

That's nothing OP. I was once told that cancer is caused by negative feelings and unhappiness, and that if only people could let go of those feelings, their cancer would heal. 😱

I’ve had 5 family members get cancer under 40, the youngest was just 17. Granted I have got quite a big family.