Nearly four in 10 new cancer cases are caused by lifestyle choices such as the consumption of tobacco and alcohol and can be prevented with targeted interventions, a study led by a World Health Organization agency has found.
A massive global study of 18.7 million new cancer cases across 185 countries and 36 types of cancer, as published in the Nature Medicine Journal on Tuesday, showed that 37.8 per cent of new cancers were caused by “modifiable risks.”
Three cancer types — lung, stomach and cervical cancer — accounted for nearly half of all preventable cancer cases in both men and women, globally.
The study identified 30 risk factors, including tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, high body mass index, insufficient physical activity, smokeless tobacco and areca nut, suboptimal breastfeeding, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, infectious agents and occupational exposures.
From among these factors, tobacco was the top cause of cancer, contributing to 15.1 per cent of all cases, followed by infections (10.2 per cent) and alcohol consumption (3.2 per cent).
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Lung cancer was primarily linked to smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer was largely attributable to Helicobacter pylori infection and cervical cancer was overwhelmingly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).
According to an analysis of the study published in the British Medical Journal, most new cancers are caused by “inherent factors” such as inherited or mutated genes.
The risks look slightly different for men and women, with three in 10 new cancer cases in women being attributed to lifestyle factors, while the proportion jumped to nearly half (45.4 per cent) among men.
The biggest risk factor for women was infections such as those caused by HPV or Helicobacter pylori, associated with 11.5 per cent of cases, while for men it was smoking, associated with 23.1 per cent of all new cancer cases in men.
The WHO said the study shows that many cancers are preventable with targeted interventions.
“The findings underscore the need for context-specific prevention strategies that include strong tobacco control measures, alcohol regulation, vaccination against cancer-causing infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B, improved air quality, safer workplaces, and healthier food and physical activity environments,” the agency said in a statement.
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