[usconservative]

And I do! Childhood cancer is nearly always genetic, and that places blame for the whole sad situation squarely at the parent's feet.

And your "opinion" is backed by which study? What specific scientific facts? Who's research? Where was it published?

Don't go laying that pure unadulterated CRAP at the feet of parents. You have no right. You have no proof of that statement. Shame on you!

[coloradan]

I got it from a biochemistry class. There are a series of protections against cell immortality and unrestricted division, but through a series of mutations each of these protections can be lost. The result is a cancer cell.

The mutations are inheritable, but cancer doesn't start until a cell collects all of the necessary mutations. Some of these can be caused by exposure to mutagens or UV light or other radiation. But kids haven't had much chance for exposure to these things - those are for adults, long term smokers, or people who have tanned themselves for decades. Hence, childhood cancer is nearly always genetic. It is comparatively rare, on a statistical basis, that a fertilized egg could be mutation free, meaning that the parents have no culpability, but all of the necessary mutations occur during childhood.