As part of the study, 30 preventable risk factors were analyzed, including tobacco and alcohol use, overweight, lack of physical activity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, and nine infections caused by microbes that can lead to cancer, which were examined for the first time.
According to the analysis, in 2022, about 7.1 million registered cancer cases (37% of the total) were linked to preventable factors.
The study, which covered 185 countries, found that tobacco is the leading preventable cause of cancer, accounting for 15% of new cases. In second place are infections at 10%, while alcohol ranks third at 3%.
It is also emphasized that lung, stomach, and cervical cancers account for nearly half of all preventable cancer cases among both men and women worldwide.
Lung cancer is most often associated with smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer is primarily caused by Helicobacter pylori infection, and cervical cancer is linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV).
The study showed that men face cancer significantly more often than women: 45% of new cancer cases are among men compared to 30% among women. In men, smoking accounted for about 23% of new cancer cases, infections made up 9%, and alcohol accounted for 4%. Among women, infections were associated with 11% of new cases, followed by smoking (6%) and overweight (3%).
Isabelle Surjomataram, deputy head of the cancer epidemiological surveillance department at IARC and one of the study's authors, noted: “This important study provides a comprehensive analysis of preventable cancer cases, for the first time taking into account infectious causes alongside behavioral and environmental factors. Eliminating these factors represents one of the most effective strategies for reducing the global cancer burden.”
WHO emphasizes that the study's results highlight the need for developing preventive strategies that take specific conditions into account. This should include strict measures to control smoking, regulate alcohol consumption, vaccination against carcinogenic infections such as HPV and hepatitis B, as well as improving air quality, ensuring safe working conditions, and supporting healthy nutrition and physical activity.
