Roughly two-thirds of all cancers are caused by natural mistakes in DNA that occur when normal cells make copies of themselves, a new study published in the journal Science reports.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore made this discovery while trying to figure out why perfectly healthy people who take steps to avoid cancer still come down with the disease.

These cancers will occur no matter how perfect the environment, said study co-author Dr. Bert Vogelstein, a cancer geneticist at Johns Hopkins University, according to Reuters.

The team reached this conclusion by looking at cancer studies from 69 countries around the world. This allowed them to determine that, on average, random DNA mistakes are much more likely to cause the disease than any other factor.

While researchers often study many well-known cancer causes, such as smoking, they usually ignore the risk from random mistakes that occur each time a normal cell divides into two new cells. The study showed these mistakes are quite common and have not been given proper attention in past research.

In fact, this is the first time that scientists have given a credible estimate of the proportion of cancers caused by random genetic errors. The team derived their findings through a mathematical model they built, which used DNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and disease data from the Cancer Research UK database to look at aberrant cell growth mutations in 32 different types of cancer.

Despite some minor variations, the team concluded that nearly 66 percent of cancerous mutations are the result of copy errors. Beyond that, 29 percent are caused by lifestyle or the environment, and 5 percent are inherited.

This is an exciting discovery because it could change the way doctors and scientists look at the disease. This is because most experts believe that cancers are typically the result of preventable lifestyle factors, environmental factors, or inherited genetic defects.

Though most of the noted mutations cannot be prevented, studying the alterations could help researchers find better or more efficient methods of early detection.

The problem we see is theres so little work done on any of those modalities for early detection, said Bert Vogelstein, co-director of the Ludwig Center at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, according to Forbes. Were still stuck with the same [technologies] that were used 50 years ago. We hope this will change the tide.

The team notes that even if most cancers are the result of bad luck, people can work to avoid other causes. A healthy lifestyle and good prevention practices still go a long way.

Joseph Scalise is an experienced writer who has worked for many different online websites across many different mediums. While his background is mainly rooted in sports writing, he has also written and edited guides, ebooks, short stories and screenplays. In addition, he performs and writes poetry, and has won numerous contests. Joseph is a dedicated writer, sports lover and avid reader who covers all different topics, ranging from space exploration to his personal favorite science, microbiology.

Joseph Scalise is an experienced writer who has worked for many different online websites across many different mediums. While his background is mainly rooted in sports writing, he has also written and edited guides, ebooks, short stories and screenplays. In addition, he performs and writes poetry, and has won numerous contests. Joseph is a dedicated writer, sports lover and avid reader who covers all different topics, ranging from space exploration to his personal favorite science, microbiology.

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Nearly 66 percent of cancers are result of random genetics, study reports - Science Recorder