Many cancers can be prevented by changing habits
Global and regional cancer burden attributable to modifiable risk factors to inform prevention.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Not specified in abstract
Not specified in abstract
Practical Takeaways
Not specified in abstract
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Not specified in abstract
Not specified in abstract
Practical Takeaways
Not specified in abstract
Publication
Journal
Nature medicine
Year
2026
Authors
Hanna Fink, Oliver Langselius, J. Vignat, H. Rumgay, Jürgen Rehm, R. Martinez, Marilina Santero, Lucero Lopez-Perez, M. Inoue, Hongmei Zeng, K. Shield, E. Morgan, A. Ilbawi, Isabelle Soerjomataram
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Claims (5)
About 4 out of every 10 new cancer cases worldwide in 2022 were caused by things people can change, like smoking, drinking too much, being overweight, or not exercising enough.
Some cancers can be prevented, and this happens differently for men and women around the world. For example, about 30% of cancers in women and 45% in men could be avoided, with numbers changing depending on where you live.
This claim says that smoking causes more cancer worldwide than any other risk factor we can change, responsible for about 15 out of every 100 cancer cases. Infections come next at 10 cases, and alcohol at 3 cases.
In 2022, almost half of all cancer cases that could have been avoided around the world were lung, stomach, and cervical cancers, because things like smoking and infections that we can control played a big role in causing them.
Many cancers could be avoided by making healthy choices like eating well and exercising. For women, about 4 out of 10 cancers might be prevented this way, and for men, it's about 6 out of 10.