More than 2.1 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2026, according to new figures from the American Cancer Society. About 40% of those cases, close to 850,000, are tied to habits and exposures people can change.
That is the message behind the American Cancer Society's 2026 statistics report, which projects 2,114,850 new cancer diagnoses and 626,140 deaths in the United States this year.
On the prevention side, the ACS estimates that around 40% of cancer cases in US adults are attributable to modifiable risk factors, and that 44% of the estimated 626,000 cancer deaths this year could potentially be prevented.
Preventable does not mean guaranteed to be avoided. It means the risk is linked to factors that respond to change.
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The three biggest levers
Three habits do most of the work. In the ACS's most detailed accounting, led by Farhad Islami, MD, PhD, cigarette smoking is linked to 19% of all cancer cases and 29% of cancer deaths. Excess body weight accounts for about 7.8% of cases, and alcohol consumption for about 5.6%.
Smoking towers over the rest for good reason. The same analysis attributes 81.7% of lung cancers and 73.8% of laryngeal cancers to cigarettes. Excess body weight is the dominant driver in some cancers that get less attention, including 60.3% of uterine cancers and about a third of liver cancers.
Alcohol is the risk many drinkers underestimate. It is tied to cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and female breast, and the risk begins at modest intake, not just heavy drinking.
What sits underneath
Physical inactivity and diet each add a smaller but real share. In the ACS breakdown, physical inactivity is linked to about 2.9% of cases.
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Poor diet, including diets high in processed and red meat and low in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, contributes further. Together with excess weight and alcohol, these lifestyle factors account for roughly 18% of cancer cases in the analysis.
Ultraviolet radiation is another lever people can pull. UV exposure is linked to about 96% of melanomas in men and 93.7% in women, a reminder that sun protection is cancer prevention.
Infections matter too. Nearly all cervical cancers and 88.2% of anal cancers are caused by human papillomavirus, which HPV vaccination and screening can help prevent.
Turning the number into action
The World Cancer Research Fund, which also estimates that up to 40% of cancers are preventable, boils the evidence into a short list: stay a healthy weight, move your body, eat more whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and beans, cut back on fast food and sugary drinks, limit red and processed meat, limit alcohol, and skip supplements marketed for cancer prevention.
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Tobacco avoidance and sun safety sit alongside them.
None of this replaces medical care. Screening for cervical, colorectal, breast, and lung cancer catches disease early or before it starts, and people with symptoms or a family history should talk with their doctor about what screening is right for them.
The headline finding is unusually hopeful for a cancer report. Most of the risk that Americans carry does not sit in their genes. It sits in daily habits, and small shifts in those habits meaningfully change the odds.
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This article is made and published by Jesper Bengtson, who may have used AI in the preparation.