New research from the American Cancer Society highlights significant evidence of the health benefits of avoiding smoking, excessive drinking, and obesity, identifying them as the leading preventable causes of cancer in adults. The study, published this week, estimates that 40% of new cancer cases and 44% of cancer deaths in people aged 30 and over could be prevented by eliminating high-risk behaviors such as smoking and drinking. This study reinforces the importance of public health initiatives aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles to reduce cancer risk.
The American Cancer Society’s research focused on cancer cases and deaths that could have been prevented through behavioral and dietary changes, or vaccinations for HPV and hepatitis B, which lower the risk of cancer-causing infections. It identified several behaviors that elevate cancer risk, including smoking, exposure to second-hand smoke, alcohol consumption, and being overweight. Additionally, diets high in red or processed meats and low in fruits, vegetables, dietary fiber, or calcium were linked to increased cancer risk. The study also pointed to infections like hepatitis B, Epstein-Barr virus, HIV, human papillomavirus, and Kaposi sarcoma herpes virus as significant risk factors, told USA Today.
Experts not involved in the study emphasized its importance as a reminder for public health agencies to adopt policies that encourage healthier behaviors. Ernest Hawk, vice president and head of cancer prevention and population sciences at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, stated that the findings present “a big opportunity for our country – really every country – to reduce cancer incidence and mortality by being more proactive in prioritizing prevention at a personal level and at a societal level.”
Hawk underscored that the study’s goal is not to shame individuals who engage in high-risk behaviors but to inform and educate them. “It’s hard to change one’s lifestyle immediately or consistently over time,” he noted. The aim is to guide people “toward helpful behaviors and helpful policies that can assist them in making that choice easier.”
In 2019, the study estimated that 40% of the nearly 1.8 million cancer cases in adults aged 30 and older were attributable to “potentially modifiable risk factors.” It analyzed 30 types of cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers. Lung cancer had the highest number of cases linked to preventable risk factors, with 104,410 cases in men and 97,250 in women. Other common preventable cancers included 50,570 cases of skin melanoma and 44,310 colorectal cancers.
“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 Farad Islami, the American Cancer Society’s senior scientific director of cancer disparity research and the study’s lead author. Islami emphasized the need for tobacco control policies in every state to encourage smoking cessation and the early detection of lung cancer.
American Cancer Society officials also highlighted the importance of vaccines for hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV). Hepatitis B is linked to liver cancer, and HPV can cause various cancers, including cervical, anal, genital, and cancers of the mouth and throat.
Earlier this year, the American Cancer Society projected that U.S. cancer cases would exceed 2 million for the first time. However, the report also noted that lower smoking rates, earlier detection, and improved treatments have led to decreased death rates over the past three decades.