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
This study looked at how many cancers are caused by things people can change, like smoking or drinking.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 520 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at how many cancers are caused by things people can change, like smoking or drinking.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 520 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Fink H, Langselius O, Vignat J, Rumgay H, Rehm J, Martinez RX, Santero M, Lopez-Perez L, Inoue M, Zeng H, Shield K, Morgan E, Ilbawi A, Soerjomataram I
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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.