# NOT a FUNNY Question .... in case Cecil doesn\`t answer....\[odds of dying from cancer\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-funny-question-in-case-cecil-doesn-t-answer-odds-of-dying-from-cancer/750065 "2016-03-24T23:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-funny-question-in-case-cecil-doesn-t-answer-odds-of-dying-from-cancer/750065/21 "2016-03-25T14:52:24Z")
Also some cancers of different areas are linked - if you have the right (wrong) gene, then even if your breast cancer is cured, you still have an incredibly high chance of uterine cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, etc etc etc. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-funny-question-in-case-cecil-doesn-t-answer-odds-of-dying-from-cancer/750065/22 "2016-03-25T15:05:55Z")
> [@](#): > > I think, unfortunately, once you’ve had cancer, your odds of getting some other type are generally much higher than the general population. The environmental and genetic risk factors that increase your risk of one type of cancer may also increase your risk of others. For some kinds of cancer. There are “cancer syndromes” where people are born with a genetic defect that predisposes to a suite of difference cancers. I’ve seen some cases where the poor person came down with six different primary cancers at various times before finally dying. And, of course, don’t overlook the fact that treatments for cancer (radiation, chemotherapy) can cause cancers. Many survivors of childhood cancers end up developing a cancer as adults because of the treatment they went through. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-funny-question-in-case-cecil-doesn-t-answer-odds-of-dying-from-cancer/750065/23 "2016-03-25T16:06:23Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > **Fear Itself** , assuming that different cancers are independent, your chances of getting liver cancer or stomach cancer are the same as for anyone else. But that may or may not be a good assumption. > > There’s one source of dependence right off the bat, in that once someone dies from one cancer, they’re certainly not going to get any other. But your use of the past tense for your testicular cancer suggests that that one, at least, isn’t going to be an issue for you (at least, one hopes not). No, from what the doctors told me, I dodged the bullet on that one. Testicular cancer is one of the most curable cancers when caught early, which in my case, it was. From your cite, the odds of getting it are 1:263, but the odds of dying from are 1:5000. As it was nearly 20 years ago, I think I am good. Thanks for your concern though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-funny-question-in-case-cecil-doesn-t-answer-odds-of-dying-from-cancer/750065/24 "2016-03-25T16:15:20Z")
Not from my cite, as I haven’t provided any in this thread. And yeah, testicular cancer is probably the easiest one to knock out completely, if you’re vigilant about it (and willing to pay the price: Some men probably opt against losing a ball, even though they have full redundancy in the other). It’s also a fortunate one in that the treatment consists primarily of surgery, not of radiation or chemo which can potentially cause other cancers. I was just trying to keep the answer general: If you die of one cancer, you can’t get another, and that’s much more likely to happen for many other cancers than testicular. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-funny-question-in-case-cecil-doesn-t-answer-odds-of-dying-from-cancer/750065/25 "2016-03-25T16:20:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Not from my cite, as I haven’t provided any in this thread. Sorry it was **Colibri**. I could have done worse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-funny-question-in-case-cecil-doesn-t-answer-odds-of-dying-from-cancer/750065.md?page=1)