Almost 40% of all new cancer cases could be attributed to at least one of 30 modifiable risk factors, according to a new global analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The analysis of preventable cancers was published in Nature Medicine.
“This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent,” said study author André Ilbawi, MD, Team Lead for Cancer Control, WHO. “By examining patterns across countries and population groups, we can provide governments and individuals with more specific information to help prevent many cancer cases before they start.”
Study Methods
Researchers looked at the approximately 18.7 million new cancer cases that were diagnosed in 2022 globally to estimate global and national cancer burdens and determine how many of these diagnoses were potentially preventable. The study authors identified 30 preventable risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol, high body mass index, low physical activity levels, smokeless tobacco use, air pollution, nine cancer-causing infections, and ultraviolet radiation exposure.
The researchers pulled data from GLOBOCAN, accounting for 36 cancer sites across 185 countries.
Key Findings
In 2022, about 37.8% of new cancer cases globally were attributable to modifiable risk factors; 2.7 million of these cases occurred in women (29.7%) and 4.3 million in men (45.4%). By region, the range of preventable centers in women was 24.6% in North Africa to 38.2% in sub-Saharan Africa, and 28.1% in Latin America and the Caribbean to 57.2% in East Asia in men.
The most common modifiable risk factors leading to cancer burden were smoking (15.1%), infections (10.2%), and alcohol consumption (3.2%). Collectively, lung, stomach, and cervical cancers accounted for almost half of all preventable cancers—lung cancer was mostly linked with smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer was commonly linked to Helicobacter pylori infection, and cervical cancer was mostly caused by human papillomavirus.
By addressing such preventable risk factors, the global cancer community may not only reduce the global cancer burden but also lower long-term health-care costs.
“This landmark study is a comprehensive assessment of preventable cancer worldwide, incorporating for the first time infectious causes of cancer alongside behavioral, environmental, and occupational risks,” said senior study author Isabelle Soerjomataram, MD, PhD, Deputy Head, Cancer Surveillance Unit, IARC. “Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden.”
DISCLOSURE: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit nature.com.
