More than a third of cancer cases worldwide are linked to preventable causes, according to a new global analysis released by the World Health Organization and its cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer .
The analysis estimates that 37 percent of all new cancer cases in 2022 about 7.1 million cases were attributable to preventable risk factors.
The study assessed 30 modifiable risk factors across 185 countries and 36 cancer types, identifying tobacco use as the single largest contributor, responsible for 15 percent of all new cancer cases globally.
Cancer-causing infections accounted for 10 percent, while alcohol consumption contributed 3 percent.
Three cancers lung, stomach and cervical cancer accounted for nearly half of all preventable cancer cases worldwide.
Lung cancer was mainly linked to smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer to Helicobacter pylori infection, and cervical cancer overwhelmingly to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
“This is the first global analysis to quantify the proportion of cancer cases attributable to preventable causes at a global level,” said Dr André Ilbawi, WHO Team Lead for Cancer Control.
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“It provides clear evidence for governments and individuals on where prevention efforts can have the greatest impact.”
The burden of preventable cancer was significantly higher among men than women.
The analysis found that 45 percent of new cancer cases in men were linked to preventable causes, compared with 30 percent in women. Smoking alone accounted for 23 percent of new cancer cases in men.
Among women, infections were the leading preventable cause, responsible for 11 percent of new cases, followed by smoking at 6 percent and high body mass index at 3 percent.
Regional disparities were also evident. Among men, the proportion of preventable cancer cases was highest in East Asia at 57 percent, and lowest in Latin America and the Caribbean at 28 percent.
Among women, preventable cancer ranged from 24 percent in North Africa and West Asia to 38 percent in sub-Saharan Africa.
“This analysis reinforces that prevention remains the cornerstone of reducing the global cancer burden,” said Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of the IARC Cancer Surveillance Unit.
She said the findings underscore the importance of strong tobacco control measures, reduced alcohol consumption, vaccination against HPV and hepatitis B, improved air quality, safer occupational environments, and the promotion of healthy diets and physical activity to curb cancer incidence globally.
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