7 Million Cancers A Year Are Preventable, Says New Report
•February 12, 2026
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Why It Matters
The findings give policymakers concrete evidence that lifestyle and infection control can slash a sizable share of cancers, offering a cost‑effective lever to reduce health‑system strain as incidence climbs.
Key Takeaways
- •7 million cancers preventable annually worldwide
- •Tobacco causes 3.3 million preventable cases
- •Infections account for 2.3 million cases, HPV dominant
- •Alcohol linked to 700,000 preventable cancers
- •Preventable share varies regionally, up to 10% in Oceania
Pulse Analysis
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has delivered the first comprehensive, cross‑national quantification of preventable cancer risk. By aggregating data on 36 malignancies from 185 nations, the study isolates 30 modifiable risk factors and attributes roughly 37 % of the 20 million new cases each year to them. This granular approach not only confirms long‑standing suspicions about tobacco’s dominance but also surfaces the outsized role of infectious agents—particularly human papillomavirus—in driving cancers that could be averted through vaccination.
Tobacco, infections and alcohol emerge as the top three preventable culprits, together responsible for about a quarter of global cancers. Tobacco alone accounts for 15 % of all cases, underscoring the urgency of tobacco‑control policies and cessation programs. Infections, led by HPV, contribute 10 % of cases, highlighting the public‑health payoff of expanding HPV immunisation, especially in low‑income regions where cervical cancer remains prevalent. Alcohol‑related cancers, while smaller at 3 % of the total, still represent 700,000 preventable diagnoses, reinforcing the need for stricter labeling and consumption guidelines. Regional disparities—such as nearly 10 % of Oceania’s cancers linked to sun exposure versus 5 % in North America—suggest that tailored, country‑specific strategies are essential.
The study’s implications extend beyond health outcomes to economic considerations. Preventable cancers impose billions in treatment costs and productivity losses; reducing them through proven interventions—smoking cessation, vaccination, alcohol moderation, and sun‑safety campaigns—offers a high‑return investment for governments. As the global cancer burden is projected to surge by 50 % by 2040, integrating these findings into national cancer control plans could save millions of lives and alleviate fiscal pressure on health systems. Stakeholders from policymakers to insurers should prioritize preventive measures as a core component of sustainable cancer mitigation.
7 Million Cancers A Year Are Preventable, Says New Report
The top three causes of preventable cancers globally were tobacco, infections and alcohol consumption.
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Seven million cases of cancer every year could be prevented, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine.
There are over 20 million new cases of cancer globally and 10 million deaths per year and the report found that 37 % of all cancers worldwide were a result of preventable causes, including approximately 30 % of cases in women and 45 % in men. Even more concerning is a predicted 50 % increase in cases by 2040, meaning that preventative strategies for decreasing cases and deaths have never been more important.
The research was carried out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization. Data on 36 different types of cancer was used from 185 countries. The researchers looked at 30 factors known to increase the risk of cancer which are considered preventable.
"This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent," said Dr Andre Ilbawi, WHO Team Lead for Cancer Control, and author of the study in a press release. “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.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, tobacco was the leading cause of preventable cancers in both women and men, causing 3.3 million cases a year worldwide, 15 % of all cancers. Infections also played a significant role, causing 2.3 million cancers, 10 % of all cases. Alcohol use was the third most common cause of cancer, linked to 700,000 preventable cancer cases, 3 % of all cases diagnosed worldwide.
The most common infection responsible for causing cancers is HPV, which causes cervical cancer in women but can also cause other types of cancer such as mouth, throat, vulval, anal and penile cancers. The report calculated that 91 % of cervical cancer cases were due to HPV infection and the remaining 9 % to tobacco exposure. Vaccination programs have seen cervical cancer rates tumble in some countries, but HPV remains a significant preventable cause of cancers in many parts of the world.
Other than HPV, infection with a carcinogenic bacterium called Helicobacter pylori was also linked to a significant proportion of stomach and colorectal cancers, and hepatitis B and C were linked to some cases of bile‑duct cancer and lymphomas.
The report also identified regional and country‑specific differences in the cancer burden of preventable causes. For example, just over 5 % of cancer cases in North America were caused by sun exposure, but in Oceania this number was almost double at 9.8 %.
The 37 % of preventable cancer cases globally tracks closely to the situation in the U.S., where 40 % of cases are preventable, according to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Almost 20 % of cases in the U.S. are caused by being overweight, poor diet, alcohol and lack of physical activity, according to the AACR.
However, not all cancers can be prevented. Some are just a natural consequence of cells becoming less competent at repairing DNA damage as people age. Other people are genetically predisposed to developing cancers; for example, people who carry mutations in BRCA genes, which affect DNA repair, have a greatly increased risk of developing breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers.
For the almost four in ten cancers that are preventable, individuals can decrease their risk by avoiding smoking, reducing or eliminating alcohol, protecting themselves from sun exposure, maintaining a healthy weight and diet, and engaging in physical activity.
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