New Study: Almost Half of All Cancer Deaths Are Preventable

A new study published in the Lancet looked at all 2019 cancer deaths worldwide, and found that 44.4% — or nearly half — were attributable to modifiable, behavioral risk factors. The leading risk factors were smoking, alcohol consumption, and high BMI. In this blog post, we’re taking a deeper look into the findings of this first-of-its-kind study and what they mean for the future of cancer prevention.

The Main Findings

The study used 2019 cancer mortality data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). The GBD quantifies cancer burden relative to a broad set of risk factors, and 2019 was the most recent version of this study.

The analysis found that 4.45 million cancer deaths in a year were attributed to preventable risk factors. And from 2010 to 2019, this number grew by 20%, with ill health due to cancer also increasing by almost 17%.

Interestingly, the rate of these types of preventable cancer deaths varied according to sociodemographic status of different countries. In essence, the rate of preventable cancer deaths was disproportionately higher among wealthier countries, accounting for 26.5% of these cancer deaths while only making up 13.1% of the global population. However, less developed countries are experiencing increasing rates of cancer deaths associated with metabolic risk like high BMI, demonstrating a potential pipeline between a country’s increasing development, obesity level, and cancer risk.

The study findings support that smoking remains the leading cancer risk factor globally, while high BMI becomes an increasingly more common risk.

Accordingly, tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer were the leading cancers associated with preventable risks for both men and women. In addition to smoking, alcohol and high BMI / obesity were also considered top risk factors. It’s important to note that while smoking and alcohol use have always been identified as leading cancer risk factors, high BMI has gradually climbed up the list, suggesting the need for more prevention efforts targeted towards obesity and overweight as key risk factors for cancer.

Overall, the study highlighted the vast potential for reducing cancer deaths worldwide simply by focusing on the identified modifiable risk factors that have the biggest impact on cancer mortality. This study has helped solidify one of the main principles of cancer management that has persisted over time: preventing cancer is the best way to beat cancer.