From Scientific American:
Many Americans fear they can do nothing to protect themselves from cancer, and they may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. Their survey of more than 6,000 people found that nearly half — 47 percent — agreed that “nearly everything causes cancer” and that more than a quarter felt there was little they could do about it.
Yet an estimated two-thirds of cancer cases can be prevented with common-sense measures, such as not smoking, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and avoiding too much sun, according to the American Association of Cancer Research and the National Cancer Institute. Most of all, Americans are confused, with 71.5 percent agreeing that “there are so many recommendations about preventing cancer, it’s hard to know which ones to follow,” researchers wrote in their report, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
More here.