A new study has revealed that more than one third of new cancer cases globally could be prevented by controlling common risk factors such as smoking and alcohol.
Almost 40 percent of new cancer cases globally could likely be prevented, according to a new study.
Smoking contributed to more cancer cases globally than any other risk factor, followed by infections and alcohol use, the study found.
The research was published in Nature Medicine on Tuesday, a day before World Cancer Day.
The study took into account 36 types of cancers across 185 countries, from worldwide case data in 2022.
It also looked at 30 modifiable cancer risk factors, which can be controlled, changed or managed to decrease the chances of acquiring the disease.
Currently, smoking, infections, and drinking alcohol are the top factors contributing to cancer cases globally, which means that controlling these could potentially slash the risk of the disease.
Using data from 2012, researchers also examined population-level exposure to each risk factor, revealing the number of cases directly linked to each contributor.
Previously, most cancer studies have focused on single risk factors and the number of deaths, rather than the overall number of cases.
Smoking and infections top causes of preventable cancer cases
Out of the total 18.7 million new cancer cases globally in 2022, around 7.1 million, or 38 percent, were linked to preventable causes. Stomach, lung, and cervical cancers accounted for almost half of avoidable cancer cases.
Some 15percent of preventable cases were due to tobacco smoking, which was the top risk factor, while 10 percent were due to infections. Alcohol consumption caused 3 percent of these cases.
Among the 9.2 million new cases in women, approximately 30 percent were deemed to be avoidable, with over 11 percent of these exacerbated by infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV).
Low and middle-income regions such as sub-Saharan Africa saw the majority of these cases. Cervical cancer, in particular, was especially prevalent in these areas.
On the other hand, in high-income regions such as most of Europe and North America, smoking contributed to the most cancer cases among women.
Smoking was also the biggest contributor to global cancer cases among men, both in low and high-income regions, responsible for nearly 25 percent of 4.3 million avoidable cancer cases. The second leading cause among men was infections, which were most common across Asia, Africa and South America.
This latest study aims to make it easier for cancer prevention strategies to be developed by taking different regions and their biggest risk factors into account, instead of adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.
