"The study found that in 2022, roughly seven million cancer diagnoses were linked to modifiable risk factors - those that can be changed, controlled or managed to reduce the likelihood of developing the disease. Overall, tobacco smoking was the leading contributor to worldwide cancer cases, followed by infections and drinking alcohol. The findings suggest that avoiding such risk factors is "one of the most powerful ways that we can potentially reduce the future cancer burden""
"Cancer continues to be a leading cause of illness and death worldwide, with cases expected to rise over the next decades if current trends continue. Previous studies have estimated that around 44% of global cancer deaths can be attributed to avoidable or controllable causes. Estimates of preventability have mainly focused on the number of deaths rather than cases and have mostly investigated a single risk factor, says Fink."
"To address this gap, Fink and her colleagues examined global case data from 2022 for 36 different cancers across 185 countries. The study included 30 modifiable risk factors that are well-established causes of cancer - such as tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and infections. The researchers combined this information with data from 2012 that captured people's exposure to each risk factor. Fink and her colleagues then estimated the proportion of cases that were directly linked to each risk factor."
In 2022 there were 18.7 million new cancer cases worldwide. Analysis across 36 cancer types in 185 countries found about 7.1 million cases (38%) linked to 30 modifiable risk factors. Tobacco smoking was the leading contributor, followed by infections and alcohol consumption. Case data from 2022 were combined with 2012 exposure data to estimate proportions attributable to each risk. Earlier estimates emphasized deaths rather than cases and often examined single risk factors. Reducing exposure to identified risks could substantially lower future cancer burden.
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