On the Mayo Clinic website there is a page devoted to debunking common cancer myths. Apparently there are some people who believe that:
Good people don't get cancer.
Fact: In ancient times illness was often viewed as punishment for bad actions or thoughts. In some cultures that view is still held. If this were true, though, how would you explain the 6-month-old or the newborn who gets cancer? These little ones haven't been bad. There's absolutely no evidence that you get cancer because you deserve it. --MAYO CLINIC
I cannot believe that there would ever be anyone who believes that cancer is a deserved punishment, but then again, just 4 years ago a grown man, a peer, a fellow churchgoer, told me that AIDS was a plague dealt out to punish homosexuals. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this line of thinking exists.
It still makes me sad.