40% of Cancer Cases Preventable: WHO Study Reveals Lifestyle Impact

• A new study by WHO and IARC reveals that nearly 40% of cancer cases worldwide are preventable, challenging the notion that cancer is unavoidable.
• The research analyzed 30 modifiable causes of cancer, including tobacco, alcohol, obesity, physical inactivity, air pollution, UV radiation, and 9 cancer-causing infections.
• Approximately 7.7 million new cancer cases in 2022 (37%) were linked to preventable causes, emphasizing the role of healthy lifestyle choices.
• Tobacco is identified as the leading preventable cause globally (15% of cases), followed by infections (10%) and alcohol consumption (8%).
• In India, about 37% of cancer cases (520,000 cases) are preventable, with infections being a major cause (13.4%) and tobacco consumption (smoking 10.5%, smokeless tobacco 5%) also significant.

Why It Matters: Nearly 40% of cancer cases are preventable by modifying lifestyle and environmental factors, as per a new WHO study.