Four in 10 Cancer Cases Preventable, WHO Study Finds
Three cancer types — lung, stomach and cervical — accounted for nearly half of all preventable cases in both men and women globally.
GENEVA — Up to 40% of cancer cases worldwide could be prevented through measures targeting tobacco use, infections and other known risk factors, according to a new global analysis released Tuesday, 3 February 2026 by the World Health Organization, writes Winston Mwale.
The study, published ahead of World Cancer Day, estimates that 37% of all new cancer cases in 2022 — around 7.1 million cases — were linked to preventable causes, including tobacco, alcohol, obesity, physical inactivity, air pollution and ultraviolet radiation.
For the first time, researchers also examined nine cancer-causing infections as preventable factors.
Tobacco emerged as the leading preventable cause globally, responsible for 15% of all new cancer cases, followed by infections at 10% and alcohol consumption at 3%, according to the analysis from WHO and its International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Three cancer types — lung, stomach and cervical — accounted for nearly half of all preventable cases in both men and women globally.
Lung cancer was primarily linked to smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer to Helicobacter pylori infection, and cervical cancer to human papillomavirus.
“This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent,” said Dr. Ilbawi, WHO team lead for cancer control and author of the study.
The study, drawing on data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types, found the burden of preventable cancer substantially higher in men than women — 45% of new cases in men compared with 30% in women.
Among men, smoking accounted for an estimated 23% of all new cancer cases, followed by infections at 9% and alcohol at 4%.
Among women globally, infections accounted for 11% of cases, followed by smoking at 6% and high body mass index at 3%.
Preventable cancer rates varied widely by region. Among women, they ranged from 24% in North Africa and West Asia to 38% in sub-Saharan Africa. Among men, East Asia showed the highest burden at 57%, while Latin America and the Caribbean had the lowest at 28%.
“Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden,” said Dr. Isabelle Soerjomataram, deputy head of the IARC Cancer Surveillance Unit and senior author.
The findings underscore the need for tobacco control measures, alcohol regulation, vaccination against cancer-causing infections such as HPV and hepatitis B, improved air quality, safer workplaces, and healthier food and physical activity environments, researchers said.