4 in 10 U.S. cancer cases linked to smoking, other modifiable risks

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Modifiable risk factors such as smoking were linked to about 40% of U.S. adult cancer cases in 2019, according to a recent study led by the American Cancer Society.

The study, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, assessed cancer cases and deaths among U.S. adults 30 or older in 2019. The researchers estimated the numbers of cases and deaths related to modifiable risk factors for 30 types of cancers.

Risk factors identified included smoking cigarettes, secondhand smoke, excess body weight, alcohol consumption, consumption of red and processed meat, low fruit and vegetable consumption, ultraviolet radiation and infection with cancer-related viruses.

An estimated 40% of incident cancer cases and 44% of deaths were attributed to modifiable risk factors. Cigarette smoking was the leading risk factor, contributing to 19.3% of cancer cases and 28.5% of deaths. Excess body weight was also a major risk factor, contributing to 7.6% of cancer cases. Other leading risk factors for cancer cases included alcohol consumption (5.4%), UV radiation exposure (4.6%) and physical inactivity (3.1%).

The researchers also looked at the relationship between some types of cancer and risk factors. Lung cancer had the most cases and deaths that could be attributed to risk factors in both men and women. Skin melanoma, colorectal cancer and urinary bladder cancer also had a high proportion of cases attributable to risk factors.

“Large numbers of cancer cases and deaths in the United States are attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors, underscoring the potential to substantially reduce the cancer burden through broad and equitable implementation of preventive initiatives,” the researchers write.

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