--- title: Most Cancers Are Completely Random and Out of Your Control description: Random DNA changes are usually to blame canonical: https://time.com/3659183/cancer-not-your-fault/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-08T11:15:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T03:23:37.806Z article:section: Health og:title: Most Cancers Are Completely Random and Out of Your Control og:description: Random DNA changes are usually to blame og:url: https://time.com/3659183/cancer-not-your-fault/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Most Cancers Are Completely Random and Out of Your Control twitter:description: Random DNA changes are usually to blame twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Most Cancers Aren’t Your Fault > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=3867a323-dd6c-4630-b9e1-e0321ac5a91d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=3867a323-dd6c-4630-b9e1-e0321ac5a91d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=3867a323-dd6c-4630-b9e1-e0321ac5a91d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=3867a323-dd6c-4630-b9e1-e0321ac5a91d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jan 8, 2015 11:15 AM UTC  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jan 8, 2015 11:15 AM UTC We think we know what causes cancer: smoking, the sun’s UV rays, tumor-causing genes we inherit from Mom and Dad. But these factors alone can’t explain why cancer in its many forms is poised to edge out heart disease as America’s No. 1 killer within the next few years. That rise has sparked a spate of research into how much of cancer is within our control and how much of it is simply a roll of the genetic dice. Now, in an eye-opening study published in Science, researchers report that the majority of cancer types are the result of pure chance, the product of random genetic mutations that occur when stem cells–which keep the body chugging along, replacing older cells as they die off–make mistakes copying the cells’ DNA. Cristian Tomasetti and Dr. Bert Vogelstein at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the more stem cells there are in certain kinds of tissues and the more often they divide, the more likely that tissue is to develop cancer over a person’s lifetime. About 65% of cancers are the result of these DNA mistakes made by stem cells. Only a small proportion of a tissue’s cells are stem cells, which are essentially templates for making more tissue. The catch is that this kind of DNA copying is also the process behind cancer, which is triggered by cells that pick up mutations in their genes when they divide. The element of chance does not, however, mean you should stop wearing sunscreen or take up smoking. “My biggest fear is that people will do nothing. The opposite is true,” says Tomasetti, who stresses that while we may not be able to prevent all tumors, we can focus on early detection and taking advantage of lifesaving treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, among other things. “We need to do everything we did before, but we want to do it even more than before.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3659183/cancer-not-your-fault/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3659183/cancer-not-your-fault/"},"headline":"Most Cancers Aren’t Your Fault","datePublished":"2015-01-08T11:15:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:23:37.806Z","description":"Random DNA changes are usually to blame","url":"https://time.com/3659183/cancer-not-your-fault/","keywords":["Cancer","health"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cancer/","name":"Cancer"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3659183/cancer-not-your-fault/","name":"Most Cancers Aren’t Your Fault"}}]}] ```