4 in 10 cancer cases are preventable worldwide — WHO

By Chioma Obinna

As the world mark World Cancer Day with the theme: “United by Unique”, a new analysis by the World Health Organisation, WHO, and its cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), has revealed that four in every 10 cancer cases globally could be prevented.

The study, released ahead of World Cancer Day on February 4, estimated that 37 per cent of all new cancer cases recorded worldwide in 2022, about 7.1 million cases were linked to preventable causes, underscoring the enormous, and often overlooked, power of prevention in reducing the global cancer burden.

Drawing on data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types, the analysis examined 30 preventable risk factors, including tobacco use, alcohol consumption, high body mass index, physical inactivity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation and for the first time in a global assessment, nine cancer-causing infections.

According to the report, tobacco remains the single biggest preventable cause of cancer worldwide, responsible for 15 per cent of all new cases, followed by infections, 10 per cent, and alcohol consumption, 3 per cent.

Three cancer types—lung, stomach and cervical cancers—accounted for nearly half of all preventable cancer cases globally in both men and women.

Lung cancer was driven largely by smoking and air pollution; stomach cancer was mainly linked to Helicobacter pylori infection; while cervical cancer was overwhelmingly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

“This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent,” said Dr. Ilbawi, WHO Team Lead for Cancer Control and an author of the study.

“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.”

The report found that the burden of preventable cancer was significantly higher in men than in women, with 45 per cent of new cancer cases in men linked to preventable causes, compared with 30 per cent in women.
Among men, smoking alone accounted for an estimated 23 per cent of new cancer cases, followed by infections (9 per cent) and alcohol (4 per cent). For women globally, infections were the leading preventable cause (11 per cent), followed by smoking (6 per cent) and high body mass index (3 per cent).

Preventable cancer rates also varied sharply by region.
Among women, preventable cancers ranged from 24 per cent in North Africa and West Asia to 38 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa. Among men, the highest burden was recorded in East Asia (57 per cent), while the lowest was seen in Latin America and the Caribbean (28 per cent).

Speaking, Deputy Head of the IARC Cancer Surveillance Unit and senior author of the study, Dr. Isabelle Soerjomataram said: “This landmark study is a comprehensive assessment of preventable cancer worldwide.

“Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden.”
The report called for context-specific prevention strategies, including stronger tobacco control, alcohol regulation, vaccination against cancer-causing infections such as HPV and hepatitis B, improved air quality, safer workplaces, and healthier diets and physical activity environments.

It also stressed the need for coordinated action across sectors, from health and education to energy, transport and labour, warning that failure to act will continue to cost millions of families their health and livelihoods.

Beyond saving lives, WHO and IARC noted that tackling preventable cancer risks would reduce long-term healthcare costs and improve population health and wellbeing worldwide.

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