Global and regional cancer burden attributable to modifiable risk factors to inform prevention

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Source: Nature Medicine

Original: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04219-7...

Published: 2026-02-03

In 2022, 7.1 million of the 18.7 million new cancer cases worldwide were attributed to 30 modifiable risk factors, representing 37.8% of all new cancer diagnoses[2]. Smoking was the largest contributor, accounting for 15.1% of all new cancer cases, followed by infections (10.2%) and alcohol consumption (3.2%)[2]. Other modifiable risk factors include high body mass index, insufficient physical activity, air pollution and occupational exposures[2]. The study included data from 185 countries and analyzed 36 types of cancer to inform prevention strategies[2]. Lung, stomach and throat cancers accounted for almost half of all preventable cancers[2]. The findings underscore that reducing exposure to modifiable risk factors represents a major opportunity for cancer prevention worldwide[2].