Malignant Tumors: General Q&A [Discussion on cancer risk factors]

I can't stop obsessing over the fact that both my father and my paternal grandfather battled cancer. My dad initially dealt with a small patch of jaw cancer—only a few millimeters—but after he passed, the autopsy revealed a massive 7 cm tumor in his lungs. My grandfather also had lung cancer and eventually succumbed to it. Both of them were heavy smokers, and frankly, I’m still smoking too. Now I’m left wondering: what are my actual odds of developing this, and is it even worth stressing myself out about if I don't intend to quit?🤷..........thanks

Both my dad and my granddad ended up losing their battle with lung cancer, so I quit smoking once and for all.

I’d honestly suggest you do the same. 😉

I mean, the possibility is always there, but as for the odds of it actually happening to you? Who knows. Only God knows.

It’s common knowledge that smokers have a much higher risk of developing lung cancer compared to non-smokers.☕ My dad passed away from lung cancer too—so yeah, I quit smoking pretty quickly after that out of pure terror. Honestly, fear is actually a pretty great motivator for quitting.😁

The issue is that I have absolutely zero willpower or desire to quit smoking... Honestly, my primary concern is just the statistical probability of developing cancer. My high school biology teacher mentioned something about it a long time ago, but I’ve completely forgotten the specifics.

Eric Hall51 said:It’s really eating at me that both my old man and my grandpa on his side dealt with cancer. My dad first had this tiny bit of jaw cancer—only a few millimeters—but then after he passed, the autopsy showed a massive 7cm tumor in his lungs. My grandad also had lung cancer and died from it. Both of them were heavy smokers, and honestly, I smoke too. Now I'm wondering: what are the actual odds that I'm heading down that same path? Is it even worth stressing about if I don't try to quit smoking?🤷..........thanks

Man, it's pretty stupid to even be asking that if you aren't planning on kicking the habit. It's common sense that smoking cranks up the risk through the roof. Cancer is always some weird cocktail of circumstances—it doesn't just pop up out of nowhere for zero reason. Look, there's never a bad time to cut down on risks, wherever you can grab them.

placidorca16 said:Look, it’s pretty much common sense at this point—anyone who smokes is looking at a way higher risk of lung cancer compared to non-smokers. It’s not exactly rocket science.☕ My dad died from lung cancer too. Honestly, that hit me so hard I quit smoking almost immediately after he passed. Fear is actually a pretty damn good motivator when it comes to kicking the habit.😁

Unfortunately, yeah. That’s usually the biggest motivator there is.

Eric Hall51 said:Yeah, but the thing is, I have absolutely zero willpower or desire to quit smoking... Honestly, I’m just obsessed with the actual probability of getting sick. My biology teacher told me ages ago, but I totally blanked on what she said.

That’s all nonsense. Nobody can sit down and calculate your specific "probability" or odds. The risk is simply higher because you smoke. And regarding genetics—it’s not that cancer itself is hereditary, it's the predisposition to it. It means you need to cut out every possible factor that could trigger it. So, if your dad or granddad passed away from smoking-related illnesses, yeah, you should probably quit. But whether it actually happens to you? Who knows. That doesn't mean it's more likely to hit you than someone whose family has never dealt with cancer. There’s no rulebook, no math equation, no way to calculate the odds. There is only increased risk. That’s it.

Besides, smoking isn't just a trigger for lung, bronchial, or jaw cancer—it's linked to basically any kind of cancer. Breast, prostate, stomach... you name it.

I can't exactly run the numbers to give you a precise mathematical probability of developing cancer, but I can tell you what we've faced personally. My father-in-law battled bladder cancer that eventually metastasized to other organs, and my husband went through lung cancer as well. He underwent surgery and is doing great now; both of them were heavy smokers. Since the operation four years ago, he hasn't touched a cigarette, and we've been cancer-free since.
If anything, perhaps looking at these real-life stakes might give you the push you need to quit smoking once and for all. We're seeing cancer cases pop up much more frequently these days, and often in much younger people than in the past. It’s also worth trying to manage your stress levels as much as possible, as chronic tension can be a significant trigger.
Best regards,

Smoking is responsible for about 80% of all lung cancers out there. Given that both you and your grandfather battled cancer, it’s pretty obvious there's a genetic component at play here.

Angela Wright said:Smoking causes about 80% of all lung cancers. Since both you and your grandfather dealt with cancer, there's clearly a genetic component at play here.

The truth is, before tobacco even hit Europe, lung cancer was an incredibly rare disease.

Eric Hall51 said:Yeah, but the thing is, I have zero willpower or any actual desire to quit smoking... Honestly, I’m just worried about the odds of actually getting it. My biology teacher told me ages ago, but I totally blanked on what she said.

If your granddad and your dad both had cancer, there's a huge chance you're headed down that same path!

You'll magically kick the habit once cancer hits you.

Larry Walker24 said:If your granddad and your old man both battled cancer, there's a massive chance you're next on the list!

Oh yeah, you'll definitely quit smoking once you're staring down a terminal diagnosis.

Look, labeling people like that just isn't right. I'm totally against smoking, but let's be real—plenty of heavy smokers dodge the bullet entirely. It takes a perfect storm of bad luck for cancer to actually take hold. Luckily, we can actually control a lot of those risk factors, so most people carry at least some weight for what happens to them. Cancer doesn't just strike by random coincidence.

Eric Hall51 said:I can't stop thinking about the fact that both my dad and my paternal grandfather dealt with cancer. My dad first had this tiny patch of jaw cancer—just a few millimeters—but then, after he passed, the autopsy revealed a 7 cm tumor in his lungs. My grandfather also had lung cancer and died from it. Both of them were smokers, and honestly, I smoke too. Now I’m wondering: what are the actual odds that I’ll end up with cancer? And is it even worth stressing over it if I don't try to quit smoking?🤷..........thanks

It isn't exactly hard to run the math here. For lifelong smokers, the risk of developing lung cancer sits at around 17.2%. If you have a parent who had lung cancer, that risk effectively doubles to 34.4%. Add a grandfather into the mix who also had it? That risk climbs even higher—likely north of 50%.

The numbers are real, so you can decide for yourself if you want to spend your life worrying about a fifty-percent chance of a miserable death.

Eric Hall51 said:I can't stop thinking about my family history. Both my father and my paternal grandfather dealt with cancer. My father had a tiny lesion on his jaw, but after he passed, the autopsy revealed a 7 cm tumor in his lungs. My grandfather also died from lung cancer. They both smoked heavily, and frankly, so do I. Is there a high probability that I'm next? And is it even worth stressing over this if I don't intend to quit smoking?🤷..........thanks

Just quit smoking.

Joseph Watson3 said:It’s not even hard to crunch those numbers. Smokers face a lifetime risk of lung cancer at about 17.2%. If one of your parents had lung cancer, that risk basically doubles to 34.4%. And if you add a grandfather into the mix who also had it? That risk jumps even higher—probably north of 50%.

The math is mathing, so you decide if you really want to stress over a fifty-percent chance of dying a slow, painful death.

So, what are you trying to tell me here? I had both a father and a grandfather die from cancer (one was definitely a smoker, though for the other, nobody's quite sure), and I quit smoking myself. Are you saying I have a better than 50% chance of getting sick? Or is it only if I smoke? Or if I don't smoke? 😕

In my book, that’s just not how it works. Look, if you're a heavy smoker and you end up with bronchial cancer, and they determine it was caused by the cigarettes, then yeah, logically, you got cancer because of the smoking. But if you aren't a smoker, your chances of getting that specific thing are way lower because you've removed the main trigger. What does heredity even have to do with it if, say, your dad got cancer because he was a chain smoker, but you don't smoke at all? How can we conclude that you can "trigger" a predisposition to "catch" cancer?

I mean, whatever. Numbers and statistics, right? If someone smokes a ton, they’ve got an increased chance of developing cancer or if they just wreck their body or mental health in other ways. If they don't, the odds are lower because those factors aren't in play.

Grace Campbell88 said:Are you actually suggesting that because my grandfather and father both died of cancer—one definitely from smoking, though we aren't 100% sure about the other—and because I quit smoking myself, I somehow have a better than 50% chance of getting sick? Or is it just if I smoke? Or if I don't smoke? 😕

The way I see it, that’s not how this works at all. If you're a heavy smoker and end up with lung cancer, and it's determined that smoking was the cause, then—by definition—you got cancer because of the cigarettes. If you aren't a smoker, your chances of developing that specific issue are significantly lower since you've removed the primary driver. What does heredity even matter here if, say, your father got cancer because he was a chain smoker, but you've never touched a cigarette? How can we conclude that you could "trigger" a predisposition to "earn" cancer?

I mean, give me a break. It's all just numbers and statistics. If someone smokes heavily, their chances of developing cancer increase—whether that's through physical damage or abusing their body/mind in other ways. If they don't, the odds are lower because those factors aren't in play.

If you aren't a smoker, your risk of lung cancer is roughly 1.3%. If your father had cancer, those odds essentially double.

And according to your logic, the Sun could be orbiting a flat Earth, but that doesn't change reality. The numbers don't lie.

Joseph Watson3 said:If you don't smoke, your chances of lung cancer are roughly 1.3%. If your dad had it, those odds basically double.

And apparently, you think the Sun revolves around a flat Earth, but honestly, who cares? That’s just noise. The numbers don't lie.

That's not really the point. You don't "inherit" cancer; you inherit a predisposition toward it—and that predisposition gets triggered by how you live your life. If he hadn't smoked, he probably wouldn't have even gotten sick. Just an example.
We're talking about "smoker's cancer" here—specifically the kind caused by cigarettes.

Grace Campbell88 said:That’s not really the point. You don't inherit cancer itself—you inherit a predisposition toward it—and that predisposition is often triggered by how you live. If he hadn't smoked, there's a very good chance he wouldn't have developed it; that's just an example.
What we're discussing here is specifically "smoker's cancer"—the kind caused strictly by cigarettes.

Smoker's cancer isn't just about the cigarettes, though—genetics still play a massive role in the equation. If someone has a family history of lung cancer, their odds of developing it essentially double, regardless of whether they ever picked up a pack or not.

Joseph Watson3 said:Lung cancer isn't just about how many cigarettes you've burned through; genetics actually plays a massive role in the mix. If you've got a family history of lung cancer, your odds basically double. It's not just about your habits, either—it's written in your DNA. Whether they smoked or not.

I wasn't just talking about smoking—obviously, there are plenty of other triggers out there. Look, if you take two people who both have a father battling cancer, but they live totally different lives... I mean, one might be eating junk while the other follows an anti-cancer lifestyle, or maybe one lives in a coastal town while the other is stuck in a smoggy industrial city. Their mindsets, their diets, even just how they generally "consume" life is completely different. You can't tell me they’d have the same odds when it comes to developing cancer. It's just not that simple.

Anyway, there’s actually scientific research out there regarding cancer and adopted kids—specifically looking at the diseases they develop later on. It turns out most of them actually "picked up" those illnesses from their adoptive parents rather than their biological ones. So, I guess that doesn't exactly play into the whole genetic predisposition argument, does it?

Grace Campbell88 said:I wasn't just talking about smoking—triggers can come from all sorts of other things or aspects. It’s pretty obvious that if you take two people who both have a father with cancer, but they live completely different lifestyles, hold different mindsets, eat differently, live in different climates, or generally "consume" life in totally different ways, their chances of developing cancer won't be the same.

Besides, there's actual scientific research on cancer and adopted children—and when it comes to the diseases they develop, most of them "picked up" those illnesses from their adoptive parents rather than their biological ones. That doesn't exactly scream "genetic predisposition," does it?

Did I ever actually say that lifestyle isn't a major factor?

Do you actually read for comprehension? A genetic predisposition for cancer simply means your intrinsic risk is higher. If you take one group of people whose fathers had cancer and compare them to a group whose fathers didn't, assuming everything else stays exactly the same, the first group is going to have significantly higher odds of getting cancer.