New research shows many US cancer cases and deaths are preventable
New research indicates that four in 10 cancer cases and half of all adult cancer deaths in the United States could be avoided. The study underscores an urgent need for more effective interventions and greater access to preventive health care.
According to the American Cancer Society, around 1.8 million new cancer cases are diagnosed in the U.S. annually, resulting in roughly 600,000 deaths. While cancer can affect anyone, various environmental and lifestyle factors can significantly increase the risk of developing the disease.
Modifiable risk factors identified
The new research from the Cancer Society reveals that hundreds of thousands of cancer cases could be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors.
The study utilized nationally representative data to assess the proportion of cancer cases and deaths attributable to factors such as smoking, secondhand smoke, excess body weight, alcohol consumption, poor diet, physical inactivity, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and infection with cancer-causing viruses like HPV.
The results showed that in 2019, 713,340 cancer cases and 262,120 cancer deaths in U.S. adults over 30 could be attributed to modifiable risk factors and therefore avoided.
Cigarette smoking: The leading cause
Cigarette smoking was identified as the most significant risk factor, contributing to 56 percent of all potentially preventable cancers in men and 39.9 percent in women.
“Despite considerable declines in smoking prevalence during the past few decades, the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to cigarette smoking in the United States is alarming,” said Farhad Islami, senior scientific director of cancer disparity research at the Cancer Society and the report’s lead author. “This finding underscores the importance of implementing comprehensive tobacco control policies in each state to promote smoking cessation, as well as heightened efforts to increase screening for early detection of lung cancer when treatment could be more effective.”
Other key risk factors
After cigarette smoking, excess body weight was the second most significant risk factor, contributing to 7.6 percent of preventable cases, followed by alcohol consumption at 5.4 percent and UV radiation at 4.6 percent.
Certain types of cancer were more likely to be caused by modifiable risk factors. For instance, 100 percent of cervical cancer cases, 80 percent of melanomas, and 99 percent of lung cancers could potentially be avoided. In contrast, only 4.9 percent of ovarian cancer cases were likely influenced by these risk factors.
Call for increased preventive care
“These findings show there is a continued need to increase equitable access to preventive health care and awareness about preventive measures,” said Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of surveillance and health equity science at the Cancer Society and senior author of the study.
The research highlights the critical role of lifestyle and environmental factors in cancer prevention and the necessity for widespread public health initiatives to reduce the incidence and mortality of cancer.