Almost half of cancer deaths are preventable

According to one of the largest studies on the link between cancer burden and risk factors, nearly 50% of cancer deaths worldwide are caused by preventable risk factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption 1

Using estimates of cancer cases and deaths in more than 200 countries, researchers found that avoidable risk factors contributed to nearly 4.

Rudolf Kaaks, a cancer epidemiologist at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, said the findings, published Aug.

heavy burden

Study co-author Justin Lang, an epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada in Ottawa, said the true number of cancer cases and deaths worldwide is difficult to determine because some countries do not record such data

In 2019, half of men and more than one-third of women died of cancer due to preventable risk factors, including smoking and drinking, unhealthy diet, unsafe sex, and exposure to harmful products such as asbestos in the workplace

"These results, combined with local knowledge, may help policymakers determine where to develop cancer control programs," said study co-author Kelly Compton, a program officer at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Co-author Lisa Foss, who studies cancer burden and health indicators at the University of Washington, said smoke-free policies, higher tobacco taxes and bans on advertising have been shown to be effective in reducing exposure to smoking, and similar measures have been suggested to help reduce overdoses drinking

future research

The study did not include some other known risk factors for cancer, including exposure to UV radiation and certain infections

Study co-author Jonathan Kocarnik, author of IHME's Global Cancer Burden Model, said once more data is available -- such as levels of exposure to these factors -- the team may include infections and exposure to UV radiation in future analyses and other risk factors

Future work may help assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer cases and deaths