Forty percent of new cancer cases among adults over 30 in the United States and 44 percent of deaths were attributed to preventable risk factors, according to a study by the American Cancer Society.
“These are things that people can change in their daily lives to reduce their risk of cancer,” Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer for the American Cancer Society, told CNN.
The study, which reviewed 18 risk factors for 30 types of cancer, found that in 2019, smoking was by far the leading risk factor, causing 1 in 5 cancer cases and nearly a third of all deaths.
Other important factors were alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, lack of a healthy diet, overweight and even Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections.
These factors were linked to more than 700,000 new cancer cases and about 262,000 deaths, the study found.
Although there are genetic or environmental factors, Kamal explained that the probability of contracting cancer increases when it is caused by these preventable risks.
“With cancer, it often feels like you have no control,” Kamal said. “People think about bad luck or genetics, but you need to know that you have control and the ability to take action.”
Some more preventable than others
Among all cancers analyzed, the study found that preventable risk factors contributed to more than half of new cases in 19 of the 30 cancer types evaluated.
And although the analysis found that some cancers are more preventable than others, in at least 10 of them, preventable risk factors could account for at least 80% of the new cancers, including more than 90% of skin cancers related to ultraviolet radiation, as well as almost all cervical cancers caused by HPV infection, which are preventable only with a vaccine.
However, due to smoking – to a greater extent – lung cancer recorded the highest number of cases attributable to preventable factors, with more than 104,000 cases among men and 97,000 among women.
Overweight: another preventable factor to take into account
The study also found that, after smoking, overweight was the second most common cause of cancer, accounting for 5% of new cases in men and 11% in women. It also caused more than a third of deaths from cancer of the endometrium, gallbladder, esophagus, liver and kidney.
“Obesity is becoming as potent a risk to people as smoking,” Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told the network.
The specialist indicated that quitting smoking, eating well and exercising can mean a “drastic difference in the rates of chronic diseases” such as cancer or diabetes.
For this reason, Plescia called on authorities to create “environments in which the healthy choice is the easiest to make,” especially in disadvantaged contexts. “It is never too late to make these changes,” the doctor added.
