Developing cancer is not purely down to chance and more needs to be done to thwart this misconception, according to an industry expert.
Dr Ian Lewis, associate director of research at Tenovus, said that science news about cancer is not reaching the public, meaning they do not have the benefit of knowledge.
"A recent study showed that only three per cent of people surveyed knew that being overweight was a cancer risk factor even though research has shown it to be linked to a number of cancers including breast, bowel and kidney," he claimed.
However, scientists have proven that half of all cancers are preventable if people made healthier lifestyle choices, with many other cancers treatable as long as they are detected early enough.
According to the World Cancer Research Fund, women in the UK are 17 per cent more likely to develop cancer by the age of 75 than European women.
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