Preventable Cancer: 2 in 5 Cases Globally in 2022 Linked to Modifiable Risks

• Nearly two in five (37.8%) cancer cases worldwide in 2022, totaling 7.1 million, were attributable to 30 modifiable risk factors.
• Smoking tobacco was the leading risk factor (15.1% or 3.3 million cases), followed by infections (10.2% or 2.3 million cases) and alcohol consumption (3.2% or 700,000 cases).
• Lung cancer had the highest share of cases linked to modifiable risks (1.8 million out of 2.5 million cases), followed by stomach and cervical cancers.
• Men had a higher proportion of cancer cases linked to modifiable risk factors (45.4%) compared to women (nearly 30%).
• Other modifiable risks include high BMI, insufficient physical activity, sub-optimal breastfeeding, and air pollution, highlighting prevention's critical role.

Why It Matters: A significant portion of global cancer cases are preventable through addressing modifiable risk factors like smoking and infections.