Nearly half of cancer cases linked to preventable risk factors

US researchers have found that about half of cancer cases worldwide are associated with risk factors

which can be avoided. These include smoking, drinking large amounts of alcohol and a sharp increase in body mass index.

A study published in The Lancet found that 44.4% of all cancer deaths in 2019 could be due to preventable risk factors.

“To the best of our knowledge, this study isthe largest attempt to date to link disease risk factors and bring them into a common set of patient data across countries, ”said Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, in the study.

The project collects and analyzesglobal mortality data. Murray and colleagues focused on cancer deaths and disability from 2010 to 2019 in 204 countries, looking at 23 types of cancer and 34 risk factors.

“Behavior change could result in millions of lives saved, far outweighing the impact of any approved drug,” he said.

In an editorial that was publishedAlong with a new study in The Lancet, the researchers added that cancer-related preventable risk factors tend to be affected by poverty levels.

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