A major new analysis from the World Health Organization reveals that nearly 40% of all cancer cases worldwide are preventable. The study, published in Nature Medicine, found that in 2022, roughly 38% of the nearly 19 million new cancer diagnoses were linked to 30 changeable risk factors.
Among those factors, two stood out dramatically. Tobacco smoking was the leading preventable cause, associated with 15% of all cancer cases that year-and 23% of cases in men. Drinking alcohol was the second-most significant lifestyle factor, accounting for 3.2% of all new cancers, or roughly 700,000 cases.
Together, smoking and alcohol are linked to nearly half-about 48%-of all preventable cancers. Infections, including HPV, were responsible for about 10% of cases, highlighting the critical role of vaccines in prevention.
"This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent," said André Ilbawi, WHO Team Lead for Cancer Control and co-author of the analysis. The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted public health investments and policy changes worldwide.