THE World Health Organisation (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) say up to four in 10 cancer cases globally can be prevented.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the organisations said this in a statement on Tuesday, citing a new global analysis.
According to the release, issued ahead of the World Cancer Day on February 4, with the theme: ‘United by unique,’ the bodies estimate that 37 per cent of all new cancer cases in 2022, were linked to preventable causes.
Also, the organisations said that the estimate represented 7.1 million cases worldwide.
They said the study examined 30 preventable causes of cancer, including tobacco, alcohol, high body mass index, physical inactivity and air pollution.
The bodies also considered ultraviolet radiation and, for the first time, nine cancer-causing infections.
“The findings highlight the enormous potential of prevention in reducing the global cancer burden,” the statement said.
According to the analysis, drawing on data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types, tobacco remained the leading preventable cause of cancer, responsible for 15 percent of all new cases.
The statement said infections accounted for 10 percent, while alcohol caused three percent of new cancer cases.
It noted that lung, stomach and cervical cancers made up nearly half of all preventable cancers.
“Lung cancer was primarily linked to smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer was largely attributable to Helicobacter pylori infection, and cervical cancer was overwhelmingly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV),” it said.
Dr André Ilbawi, WHO team lead for Cancer Control and an author of the study, said the analysis was the first to show the extent of preventable cancer risks.
“By examining patterns across countries and population groups, we can provide governments and individuals with more specific information to help prevent many cancer cases before they start,” Ilbawi said.
She said preventable cancer was significantly higher in men than in women with 45 percent of new cancer cases in men compared with 30 percent in women.
“In men, smoking accounted for 23 percent of new cancer cases, followed by infections at nine per cent and alcohol at four percent,” she said.
“Among women globally, infections accounted for 11 percent of new cancer cases, followed by smoking at six per cent and high body mass index at three percent.”
Also, Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, deputy head of the IARC cancer surveillance unit and senior author of the study, said the report was a comprehensive assessment of preventable cancer globally.
She said it incorporated infectious causes of cancer for the first time, alongside behavioural, environmental and occupational risks.
“Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden,” she said.
She said preventable cancer varied across regions and that among women it ranged from 24 percent in North Africa and West Asia to 38 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Among men, the highest burden was in East Asia at 57 percent and the lowest in Latin America and the Caribbean at 28 percent,” she said.
She said the differences reflected varying exposure to risk factors, socioeconomic conditions and national prevention policies.
She said they also reflected differences in health system capacity.
“The findings underscore the need for context-specific prevention strategies that include strong tobacco control measures, alcohol regulation and vaccination against HPV and hepatitis B.
“Others include improved air quality, safer workplaces and healthier food and physical activity environments,” she said.
