Can you get cancer if you don’t have a lot of life stress?

[Anonymous]

My father had a lot of stress and trauma in his life and died of end stage colon cancer abruptly.

Would he have been saved had he lead a less stressful life?

[Anonymous]

I don’t think I have a particularly stressful life and I had breast cancer. I also eat healthy foods and exercise.

[Anonymous]

Uh no.

[Anonymous]

Yes, let’s blame cancer victims for their illness.

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

No. There are so so so many factors that go into getting cancer. There are certain things that can definitely make you higher risk, but even people who don't drink, smoke, eat clean, have minimal stress, work out, etc can get cancer or have strokes or heart attacks.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry but you're grieving. Maybe it was the stress. Maybe it was his diet. Genetics. Environment. Think about it until you are ready to move on. But no, it's not the stress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, let’s blame cancer victims for their illness.

Doesn't sound like OP is blaming her dad at all. She's likely in the grieving process and wondering if he had a life free of trauma and the resulting stress if maybe he wouldn't have gotten cancer and died quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, let’s blame cancer victims for their illness.

I had breast cancer and this is why I had to leave some support groups. It was NUTS.
“We got cancer because we ate too much sugar!”
“You got cancer because you ate processed foods.”
“I got cancer because my life is stressful!”
“Those plastic water bottles gave you cancer.”
The list is endless. And you absolutely cannot have rational conversation with people like this.
And don’t get me started on the natural treatments/supplements these people were into. I’m sorry - they didn’t save you. Modern medicine did.

[Anonymous]

Op, some things are outside of our control. People die. We all have to die of something. We can’t behave our way out of all serious illnesses, though we live in a society that sends that message.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, let’s blame cancer victims for their illness.

Doesn't sound like OP is blaming her dad at all. She's likely in the grieving process and wondering if he had a life free of trauma and the resulting stress if maybe he wouldn't have gotten cancer and died quickly.

It’s the bargaining stage of grief. Trying to find a way to go back in time and make it not happen.

[Anonymous]

I think the connection between stress and cancer is very wishy-washy. Stress is a normal condition and, and trauma, while terrible is not a cause of cancer.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you can get cancer with or without stress.

[Anonymous]

That’s not how cancer works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, let’s blame cancer victims for their illness.

I had breast cancer and this is why I had to leave some support groups. It was NUTS.
“We got cancer because we ate too much sugar!”
“You got cancer because you ate processed foods.”
“I got cancer because my life is stressful!”
“Those plastic water bottles gave you cancer.”
The list is endless. And you absolutely cannot have rational conversation with people like this.
And don’t get me started on the natural treatments/supplements these people were into. I’m sorry - they didn’t save you. Modern medicine did.

This. In college I had a friend who I was playing intermural soccer with. He and another guy tripped over each other and he fell down hard. His arm was all numb so we took him to the hospital assuming he'd pinched a nerve.

Nope. Brain tumor. The fall moved it and it was pressing on something but it had been growing for a while. They removed it and he ended up fine but that fall was actually really lucky because if they'd caught it later it would have been worse.

20 year old guy, nice guy, great shape. Brain tumor.