World Health Organization researchers say tobacco, infections, alcohol and pollution account for millions of avoidable cancers worldwide.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Nearly four out of every 10 cancer cases worldwide could be prevented if exposure to known risk factors were reduced, according to a major new analysis released by the World Health Organization ahead of World Cancer Day.
The research estimates that 38 percent of all new cancer cases globally in 2022 — about 7.1 million cases — were linked to preventable causes. The findings were published in the medical journal Nature Medicine and involved a large international research team that included scientists from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Researchers analyzed 30 different risk factors known to increase the likelihood of developing cancer. Tobacco use emerged as the single largest contributor, accounting for 15 percent of all new cancer cases worldwide. Cancer-causing infections followed at 10 percent, while alcohol consumption accounted for roughly 3 percent of new cases.
Additional preventable factors identified in the analysis included excess body weight, physical inactivity, ultraviolet radiation exposure and occupational hazards such as asbestos.
“This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent,” said Andre Ilbawi, the study’s senior author and the WHO’s team lead for cancer control, in a statement.
The researchers found that nearly half of all preventable cancers were concentrated in three types: lung, stomach and cervical cancer. Lung cancer cases were strongly linked to smoking and air pollution. Stomach cancer was largely associated with infection by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Cervical cancer was overwhelmingly linked to human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus for which effective vaccines are widely available.
The study also identified significant gender differences. Men were substantially more likely to develop preventable cancers, with 45 percent of new cancer cases among men attributed to modifiable risk factors, compared with 30 percent among women. Smoking played a particularly large role, accounting for nearly one-quarter of all preventable cancer cases in men, compared with 11 percent in women.
To reduce the global cancer burden, the researchers called on governments to strengthen tobacco control policies, regulate alcohol consumption, expand vaccination programs for infections such as HPV, improve air quality standards and promote safer workplaces, healthier diets and regular physical activity.
“If we want to reduce the cancer burden we also need to reduce the noncommunicable disease burden — it is indisputable that tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed food and air quality are major drivers of multiple kinds of cancer,” said Katie Dain, chief executive of the NCD Alliance.
Researchers said the findings underscore the potential impact of prevention-focused public health policies, noting that a substantial share of global cancer cases could be avoided through existing, well-established interventions.
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