Never had an issue such as one described by TS.
MC or MM all with hundreds of hours of use on each, never had an issue.
From Dual CS-505 to LAB 400 to original AR to VPI-19 (Rega 300 tonearm), etc. Shure V15-5 MR, Sumiko BP Special, Ortofon OM30. Etc.
Clean records, regular maintenance, use of LAST including Stylast. Meticulous table alignment, vta, vtf, sra, antiskate, antistatic gun, etc. Personal “hygiene “ and kid gloves when record playing are important.
All that said, one question in my setup: how long will cartridge (w/o stylus) last? Let’s say it is a MM with user-replaceable stylus. So typical MM Shure, AT or Ortofon.