IARC 60th Anniversary - 19-21 May 2026
Session : Rapid Fire
Global and regional cancer burden attributable to modifiable risk factors to inform prevention
FINK H. 1, LANGSELIUS O. 1, VIGNAT J. 1, RUMGAY H. 1, REHM J. 2, MARTINEZ R. 3, SANTERO M. 3, LOPEZ-PEREZ L. 3, INOUE M. 4, ZENG H. 5, SHIELD K. 6, MORGAN E. 1, ILBAWI A. 3, SOERJOMATARAM I. 1
1 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO), Lyon, France; 2 Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Un, Toronto, Canada; 3 Department of Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; 4 Division of Prevention, Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan; 5 National Central Cancer Registry & State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; 6 Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Un, Toronto, Canada
Background
Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity worldwide, with a substantial proportion attributable to modifiable risk factors. Quantifying the preventable cancer burden is essential to guide effective prevention strategies at global and regional levels.
Objectives
To estimate the global and regional cancer burden in 2022 attributable to 30 modifiable risk factors, and to identify key drivers of preventable cancers across regions and sexes.
Methods
We used GLOBOCAN 2022 incidence data for 36 cancer sites across 185 countries. Thirty modifiable risk factors were considered, including tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, high body mass index, insufficient physical activity, smokeless tobacco and areca nut use, suboptimal breastfeeding, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, nine infectious agents, and 13 occupational exposures. Exposure prevalence data from around 2012 were applied to account for latency between exposure and cancer development. Population-attributable fractions (PAFs) were estimated using Levin- or Miettinen-based methods, or direct estimates where appropriate. Combined PAFs accounting for overlapping exposures were calculated by cancer site, sex, country, and region.
Results
In 2022, an estimated 7.1 million of 18.7 million new cancer cases worldwide (37.8%) were attributable to the 30 modifiable risk factors assessed, corresponding to 2.7 million cases in women (29.7%) and 4.3 million cases in men (45.4%). The proportion of preventable cancers varied widely by region, ranging from 24.6% (Northern Africa & Western Asia) to 38.2% (sub-Saharan Africa) in women and from 28.1% (Latin America & Caribbean) to 57.2% (East Asia) in men. Tobacco smoking was the leading contributor to the preventable cancer burden (15.1%), followed by infections (10.2%) and alcohol consumption (3.2%). Lung, stomach, and cervical cancers together accounted for nearly half of all preventable cancer cases globally.
Conclusions
More than one-third of new cancer cases worldwide could potentially be prevented through effective reduction of known modifiable risk factors. Strengthening comprehensive cancer prevention policies—particularly tobacco control, infection prevention, and alcohol reduction—remains central to reducing the global cancer burden and addressing regional and sex-specific disparities.