Credits: Social Media
Two cancer experts on why even super healthy people like Sir Chris Hoy still get cancer
On October 19, 2024, elite cyclist and Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy announced that his cancer was terminal and that he had been given between two and four years to live.
The cancer started in his prostate but has spread to his bones, making it stage four. Within 48 hours of his announcement, the number of visits to NHS Englands prostate cancer symptoms advice website had gone up nearly 700%. Studies suggest taking vitamin K3 supplements could slow down the progress of prostate cancer, and eating less saturated fats could reduce a mans risk of developing prostate cancer. But the news that one of the worlds healthiest individuals had terminal cancer likely came as a shock to many.
We dont know why the worlds healthiest people still get cancer
Even the fittest individuals, those who follow all the latest advice and give themselves the best shot possible of avoiding terminal illness, can get terminal cancer.
Thats the lesson that confronted us when Chris Hoy revealed his diagnosis.
- LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Neighborhood and stress linked to risk of prostate cancer
I asked Sue Chang, a pathologist specializing in cancer research, why even the healthiest people are still susceptible to cancer.
The short answer is, we dont know. So many factors play into it, she says, and some of them are impossible to control for. Genetic factors, environmental factors, infectious agents&
And then there is the interplay between people and their environment. Although overall health does decrease a persons risk of developing cancer, it is not zero.
We cant reduce the chance of developing cancer to zero because, biologically, cells that are dividing can always have a risk to develop a mutation that can lead to developing cancer. Simply put, to have cells that live and divide is to live with that risk.
But being active and healthy does make it easier to get through cancer treatment
Dr Anne Peled is a breast cancer surgeon and survivor.
Having been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 37, and as a regular exerciser and vegetarian without any obvious risk factors, she says she can imagine how challenging it must be for someone like Chris Hoy to face down a terminal diagnosis.
However, she says that in her personal experience, which is supported by numerous clinical studies as well, being an active and healthy person does make it easier to get through cancer treatment, helps reduce the potential side effects that can come with treatment, has a huge psychological benefit, and can reduce the chance of cancer returning once its been treated.
So if one of her patients begins to despair, feeling like they had done everything right, she encourages them to try to keep staying as healthy as they can,” based on the knowledge that “those choices will still make a difference in their future outcomes and health.
Dont let the possibility of developing cancer freeze you into living an unfulfilling life
Back to Sue Chang, who urges us not to take news like Chris Hoys too much to heart.
The way I view it, as a physician specializing in cancer diagnosis, is that this is a small risk we tolerate when compared to the ability to have a big life.
Just because were all innately vulnerable doesnt mean a cancer diagnosis has to be terminal.
Particularly in young adults who have high functionality and good health at the time of diagnosis, cancer does not automatically mean the end of life.
Screening and treatment technologies have improved by leaps and bounds over the years, she adds. Our ever-increasing understanding of cancer and the range of therapeutics are reasons to feel hopeful. Even when diagnosed with cancer, young adults have so many reasons to feel optimistic that cancer is only one chapter in their long life histories.
Sue Chang is a pathologist and associate clinical professor at City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment organization. Anne Peled is a breast cancer and plastic surgeon, and co-director of the Sutter Health Breast Cancer Center of Excellence.
If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, you can contact the Cancer Support Helpline, run by counselors and resource specialists, at 1-888-793-9355 or the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.
In the UK, Cancer Research UK telephone lines are open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday at 0808 800 4040, and Macmillan from 8 am to 8 pm every day at 0808 808 000.
