Roughly 7.1 million cancer cases diagnosed in 2022, or 37% of all new cases worldwide, were linked to preventable causes, according to a February 2026 analysis from the World Health Organization and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Tobacco led the list at 15% of all new cancers, followed by infections at 10% and alcohol at 3%.
The analysis, published in Nature Medicine, examined 30 modifiable risk factors across 185 countries and 36 cancer types.
Lung, stomach and cervical cancers accounted for nearly half of all preventable cases worldwide.
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How to prevent cancer
The evidence points to a short list of levers most people can act on.
Not smoking. Staying at a healthy weight. Regular physical activity. A diet built around vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans, with limited red and processed meat. Limiting alcohol. HPV and hepatitis B vaccinations prevent specific cancers directly.
A separate study published May 28, 2026 in the journal Cancer, based on 28,550 UK Biobank participants, found that people who most closely followed the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research 2018 recommendations had a 16% lower all-cause mortality than the least adherent group.
Each one-point increase in adherence to the recommendations was linked to an 8% lower risk of death from any cause.
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Anyone with symptoms, a strong family history or questions about HPV or hepatitis B vaccination should talk to their doctor about screening and prevention options that fit their personal risk.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.