WHO: four out of 10 cancer cases are preventable

Geneva.- Almost four out of ten cancer cases worldwide are linked to preventable causes ranging from tobacco and alcohol consumption to overweight and physical inactivity, pollution, ultraviolet radiation or certain infections, according to a study released by the World Health Organization (WHO). The latest study on this disease, led by the WHO in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), was released this Tuesday, on the eve of the world day against this disease. With data collected in 185 countries on 36 types of cancer, the research indicates that 7.07 million cases diagnosed in 2022 - 37.8% of the total that year, which was 18.7 million - could have been prevented.

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Smoking and infections, the most avoidable causes of cancer

From all cases, it was observed that the most frequent preventable cause was smoking, responsible for 15% of the cases (3.3 million). Infections (10% of the cases, 2.2 million) and alcohol consumption (3%, 700,000 cases) follow in this classification of preventable causes, according to the study, which is published in the journal Nature Medicine. Half of the preventable cases belong to three types of cancer, lung, stomach and cervical or uterine, the first of these being linked to tobacco and pollution and the other two to infections, the stomach to the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and the cervical to the human papillomavirus (HPV). "This is the first global analysis that shows to what extent the risk of cancer comes from causes that we can avoid and, by examining patterns in different countries and demographic groups, we can give governments and individuals specific information to achieve it," highlighted one of its authors, André Ilbawi, head of the cancer control team at WHO, when presenting the study.

Differences Between Regions and Sex

The percentage of preventable cancer cases varies greatly between women and men, as the rate drops to 30% in women, while it rises to 45% in men, among other factors due to their higher consumption of tobacco and alcohol.

In men, tobacco is linked to 23% of cases, while infections represent 9% and alcohol 4%, but in women the most prevalent avoidable cause is infections (11%), followed by tobacco consumption (6%) and overweight (3%).

The study also shows strong regional variations, with East Asia as the area with the most preventable cases (44.6%) and Latin America as the one with the lowest percentage (28.6%). In Southern Europe, it is estimated that 331,000 cases could be prevented, 35.9%, a percentage very similar to that of North America, with 35.6% or 735,000 cases. If the geographical diversity is added to that existing between men and women, the research reveals that in regions such as East Asia, more than half of cancer diagnoses in men (55%) can be prevented and in Sub-Saharan Africa around 40% of those detected in women.

Adapt Strategies

The study's results, underscored by the WHO and the AIIC, point to the need for specific prevention strategies for different regions and contexts.

These strategies range from greater controls on tobacco and alcohol consumption to vaccinations against infections such as the human papillomavirus or hepatitis B (a disease that can increase the risk of liver cancer).

It is also recommended to create better conditions for the practice of exercise and a healthy diet.

This would require coordinated efforts from various sectors, including healthcare and education, as well as transportation, energy, and employment. You can also read: Such a strategy could not only save lives, but also spare millions of families "the burden of having a cancer case", both organizations emphasize. For the types of tumors most related to genetics or age, such as prostate cancer (the most diagnosed in Europe), the deputy director of the Cancer Surveillance Unit of the AIIC and the co-author of the study, Isabelle Soerjomataram, recommended an approach that includes systems for early diagnosis.