The evidence seems to show that a clean life lived apart from serious environmental risks DOES PREVENT CANCER. Not perfectly, but well enough.
Genetic tendencies can often be prevented or headed off by various lifestyle changes. That is, if you know about them soon enough.
The past generations including Gen X, mine, have been exposed to so much crap in our lives that is now too late to undo. The best we can do is to live as cleanly as we can, and to raise our kids as cleanly as we can.
With all that said, we also take risks with our jobs, hobbies, sports. Sometimes life is a risk. I’m not living with zero risks like a sterile lab rat. But where a cleaner, healthier choice wouldn’t reduce my quality of life, I will do it.
If I could offer advice to clean up one’s life, I’d advise
1) eat healthy animals, avoid feedlot cheap meat and dairy
2) eat organic produce to reduce the sheer total of pesticides you build your body with
3) reduce all processed carb foods, breads, desserts, etc. Eat starches in forms close to natural, like rice, potatoes, root vegetables, corn. Your gut bugs need them and they help keep you healthy.
4) don’t use chemical laundry products post first wash, no softeners or dryer sheets or starches. Make sure your detergent gets rinsed off the clothes. Don’t dry clean much. All of these products enter your skin and your bloodstream
5) same with lotions and skin products, trade the chemicals for natural oils like shea butter and coconut oil
6) get fresh air, sunshine and exercise
7) supplement vitamins and minerals to a therapeutic normal range because our soils and diets are depleted of them
8) don’t cook or warm foods in plastic, including nonstick surfaces
You can do all this and still get sick, but your likelihood is much less than someone who doesn’t take this kind of care.
My state has the lowest rate of cancer so I’d say sunshine and clean air.