Bukola Afeni
The World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have identified tobacco as the leading preventable cause of cancer globally, accounting for 15 per cent of all new cancer cases.
The finding is contained in a new global analysis released ahead of World Cancer Day, marked annually on February 4.
The study reveals that up to four in ten cancer cases worldwide could be prevented by addressing known risk factors.
According to the analysis, an estimated 37 per cent of all new cancer cases recorded in 2022, about 7.1 million cases, were linked to preventable causes.
These include tobacco use, alcohol consumption, high body mass index, physical inactivity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation and, for the first time, nine cancer-causing infections.
Drawing on data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types, the report ranks infections as the second leading preventable cause of cancer at 10 per cent, followed by alcohol consumption at 3 per cent.
The study further shows that lung, stomach and cervical cancers accounted for nearly half of all preventable cancer cases globally among both men and women.
The report revealed that, lung cancer was mainly associated with smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer was largely linked to Helicobacter pylori infection, while cervical cancer was overwhelmingly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).
WHO Team Lead for Cancer Control and an author of the study, Dr André Ilbawi, said
“This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent.”
He noted that the findings provide governments and individuals with actionable data to prevent millions of cancer cases.
The report further revealed that, the burden of preventable cancer was found to be significantly higher among men than women. About 45 per cent of new cancer cases in men were preventable, compared with 30 per cent in women.
In men, smoking accounted for 23 per cent of new cancer cases, followed by infections and alcohol. Among women, infections were the leading preventable cause at 11 per cent, followed by smoking and high body mass index.
Regional disparities were also observed. Preventable cancers among women 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 at 57 per cent, while Latin America and the Caribbean had the lowest at 28 per cent.
Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of the IARC Cancer Surveillance Unit and senior author of the study said:“These differences reflect varying exposure to behavioural, environmental and infectious risk factors, as well as differences in national prevention policies and health system capacity.”
The report calls for stronger, context-specific prevention strategies, including robust tobacco control, alcohol regulation, vaccination against cancer-causing infections such as HPV and hepatitis B, improved air quality, safer workplaces, and healthier lifestyles.
WHO and IARC stressed that coordinated action across sectors could significantly reduce cancer incidence, lower long-term healthcare costs and improve overall population health.
