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A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 30 modifiable risk factors that contribute to cancer cases worldwide, warning that up to four in 10 cancers could be prevented through lifestyle changes and reduced exposure.
The large global study Is the first to outline how much cancer risk comes from causes people can control, including nine cancer-causing infections newly added to the list.
“This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent,” Dr. André Ilbawi, the WHO’s team lead for cancer control and the study’s author, said in a press release.
“By examining patterns across countries and population groups, we can provide governments and individuals with more specific information to help prevent many cancer cases before they start,” he continued.
Researchers analysed data from 185 countries and found there were 18.7 million new cancer diagnoses worldwide in 2022. About 7.1 million of those cases were linked to risk factors people can actually change, unlike inherited genes, ageing-related DNA damage and other non-modifiable risks.
The study found that 45% of new cancer cases in men were preventable, compared with 30% in women, with smoking remaining the leading driver.
Smoking tobacco accounted for 15% of new cases worldwide, followed by cancer-causing infections at 10% and alcohol consumption at 3%.
The cancers most often tied to these avoidable risks were lung, stomach and cervical cancers, which together made up nearly half of all preventable cases in 2022.
Below is the full list of the 30 controllable risk factors identified in the WHO report:
Smoking tobacco
HPV
Drinking alcohol
High BMI
Physical inactivity
Smokeless tobacco (like chewing tobacco)
Poor breastfeeding practices
Air pollution
Too much UV exposure
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Epstein-Barr virus
Helicobacter pylori (H pylori)
Human herpesvirus type 8
Schistosoma haematobium
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus
Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis
Asbestos
Arsenic
Benzene
Beryllium
Cadmium
Chromium
Diesel engine exhaust
Formaldehyde
Nickel
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Silica
Sulphuric acid
Trichloroethylene
(New York Post)
