WHO warns up to 40% of cancer cases are preventable through lifestyle, vaccination, and environmental measures

The World Health Organisation has warned that nearly four in ten cancer cases globally are linked to preventable risk factors, urging nations to invest more aggressively in prevention.

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The announcement was made on Tuesday in a statement released ahead of World Cancer Day on February 4.

Dr André Ilbawi, WHO Team Lead for Cancer Control, described the new global analysis conducted with the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a wake-up call, emphasising that many cancers are not inevitable.

“This is the first global analysis to demonstrate, at this scale, how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent,” Ilbawi said.

The report analysed data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types, estimating that 37 per cent of all new cancer cases diagnosed in 2022—approximately 7.1 million—were caused by tobacco use, alcohol consumption, obesity, physical inactivity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, and infection-related factors.

Tobacco was identified as the leading preventable cause, responsible for 15 per cent of new cases, followed by infections at 10 per cent and alcohol consumption at three per cent.

Lung, stomach, and cervical cancers accounted for nearly half of preventable cases worldwide. Lung cancer was largely linked to smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer to Helicobacter pylori infection, and cervical cancer almost entirely to human papillomavirus.

Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of the IARC Cancer Surveillance Unit, said the findings underscore the urgency of prevention-focused policies.

“Prevention is not optional—it is essential,” she said, highlighting that vaccines, cleaner air, safer workplaces, and healthier diets are powerful tools in reducing the global cancer burden.

The report also revealed notable gender and regional disparities. Among men, 45 per cent of new cancer cases were preventable, compared with 30 per cent for women.

Regional differences reflected variations in exposure to risk factors and national prevention policies, with East Asia recording the highest burden among men and sub-Saharan Africa among women.

The WHO called for coordinated action across health systems and governments, stressing that preventing cancer could save millions of lives while reducing long-term healthcare costs and improving overall population wellbeing.

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“Cancer prevention is a shared responsibility. When governments act early, millions of families can be spared the physical, emotional, and financial burden of a cancer diagnosis,” Ilbawi said.