(VOVworld) – Cancer has been blamed on genetic mutations and an unhealthy lifestyle. But results of a study by American scientists announced on March 23^rd shows that even those with careful lifestyle can still get cancer due to random errors in DNA replication. The new study is drawing attention from scientists.

Professor Bert Vogelstein of Johns Hopkins University, head of the study team says that they searched 423 international cancer databases and examined data from 69 countries spanning 6 continents, representing 4.8 billion people, or two-thirds of the world’s population, and analyzed patients of 32 cancer types. The results show that 66 percent of the genetic mutations that turn into cancer are caused by ‘random replication errors’ during ongoing cell replacement process, environmental factors account for 29 percent of mutations that lead to cancer, and 5 percent of mutations are inherited.

The study team hopes that this research offers comfort to the literally millions of patients who have developed cancer but have led near perfect lifestyles and followed all cancer preventive measures suggested by scientists. The team also hopes raising awareness about cancer mutations will lead to earlier diagnosis of cancer.

In 2015, Professor Vogelstein published a controversial study on the relation between cell mutations and cancer. Critics said his study will lead to a misunderstanding that people don’t need a healthy lifestyle or protection against cancer risks. Mr. Martin Nowak of Harvard University and Bartlomiej Waclaw of Edinburg University say that the new study will create controversy. Professor Lawrence Young, Director of Cancer Research at Warwick University, advises people to continue taking cancer preventive measures and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Scientists of the Kimmel-Johns Hopkins Cancer Academy say that even though cancer has been found to be caused by random mutations or bad luck, it’s still important to apply cancer preventive measures, maintain healthy lifestyle, and get regular checkups. With early diagnosis, cancer treatment has 98% success rate. More than 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 8.2 million die of cancer each year.