Almost 50% of Preventable Cancers Linked to Just Two Lifestyle Habits

By Carly Cassella of ScienceAlert. Excerpts:

"According to a recent analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a third of all cancer cases globally are preventable.

Lung, stomach, and cervical cancers make up nearly half of those cases.

This means that millions of deadly cancers every year could be prevented through medical intervention, behavior changes, reducing occupational risks, or tackling environmental pollutants."

"n 2022, there were nearly 19 million new cases of cancer. Roughly 38 percent of those diagnoses were related to 30 changeable risk factors."

"These included tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, high body mass index, insufficient physical activity, smokeless tobacco (like chewing tobacco), a traditional stimulant known as areca nut"

"The number one preventable factor associated with cancer? Smoking tobacco. It was linked to 15 percent of all cancer cases that year."

"After tobacco smoking, the runner-up among changeable lifestyle factors was drinking alcohol. It accounted for 3.2 percent of all new cancer cases (approximately 700,000 cases)."

"smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol account for almost half (around 48 percent) of all cases of preventable cancer."

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