Cancer study finds 30 controllable risk factors

A WHO analysis linked about 37% of new cancer cases in 2022—roughly 7.1 million—to 30 preventable causes, with smoking, infections and alcohol among the top reported risks.

A World Health Organization analysis has identified 30 controllable risk factors linked to cancer and estimated the share of cases tied to those causes. The study found that about 37 percent of new cancer cases in 2022—around 7.1 million—were associated with preventable causes. Researchers examined data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types and included nine cancer-causing infections in this global analysis. Officials noted differences between groups, with a higher share of preventable cases reported in men than in women. Key findings: - The analysis estimated that 37 percent of new cancer cases in 2022 (about 7.1 million) were linked to preventable causes. - Smoking was identified as the largest single avoidable risk, reported to account for about 15 percent of new cases worldwide. - Infections were reported as the second most common preventable cause, about 10 percent of cases, and include HPV among the listed infections. - Three cancers—lung, stomach and cervical—were reported to account for nearly half of all preventable cases globally. Summary: The reported findings indicate a substantial proportion of recent cancer cases are associated with causes the study describes as controllable, with smoking and infections among the leading contributors. Undetermined at this time.