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Stop smoking, drinking and overeating and lower your cancer risk

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Stop smoking, drinking and overeating and lower your cancer risk

Cigarette smoking was by far the leading risk factor, contributing to nearly one in five cancer cases and about a third of all cancer deaths.

Cigarette smoking is by far the leading cancer risk factor, contributing to nearly one in five cancer cases and about a third of all cancer deaths, a new study shows. Photo: Shutterstock

The findings were published this month in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

In 2019, these lifestyle factors were linked to nearly 715,000 cancer cases and about 262,000 deaths.

For Dr Farhad Islami, senior scientific director of cancer disparity research at the American Cancer Society, the number of cancer deaths attributable to smoking is alarming. Photo: Dr Farhad Islami/X

The findings are not exactly new, but they add to mounting research that shows many cancer cases – and as many as half the deaths – can be prevented with lifestyle changes.

“Despite considerable declines in smoking prevalence during the past few decades, the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to cigarette smoking in the United States is alarming,” said Dr Farhad Islami, senior scientific director of cancer disparity research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report.

The finding underscores the importance of comprehensive tobacco control policies to stop smoking, and the need to boost screening for early detection of lung cancer, when treatment could be more effective, he added.

Despite the findings that people have more control than they think over their cancer risk, there are still many questions about who gets cancer and why.

Being overweight is linked to an increased risk of cancer – but it’s never too late to change your lifestyle. Photo: Shutterstock
Colon cancer, which was once a more distant cause of cancer death in both men and women, is now a leading cause of cancer death for men and women under 50.

Experts say some risk factors including obesity and a lack of physical activity could be playing a role but they still do not know what’s causing the jump in cases among younger adults.

In Hong Kong, the Cancer Registry recorded 38,462 cancer cases in 2021, the most recent year for which statistics are available. There were 5,978 cases of lung cancer, 5,899 cases of colon cancer, 5,592 of breast cancer, 3,038 of prostate cancer, 1,771 of liver cancer and 1,306 of stomach cancer. That year, 15,108 people died of cancer.

In this new ACS study, researchers used nationally representative data on cancer incidence and mortality and risk factor prevalence to estimate the proportion and number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors overall for 30 cancer types.

Getting more physically active could help lower your risk of several cancers. Photo: Shutterstock
Some cancers have more of a direct link to risk factors than others, according to the study. For example, about 90 per cent of melanoma cases are linked to ultraviolet radiation, and virtually every case of cervical cancer is linked to HPV infection, which can be prevented with an HPV vaccine, according to the study.
Lung cancer tops the list, with the most number of cases associated with a modifiable risk factor – the vast majority linked to smoking, including current and former smoking habits as well as second-hand smoke.
Being overweight was associated with 11 per cent of breast cancer cases, 14 per cent of stomach cancer cases and about half of endometrial cancer cases.

“These findings show there is a continued need to increase equitable access to preventive healthcare and awareness about preventive measures,” added Dr Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice-president, surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society and senior author of the study.

There is a continued need to increase equitable access to preventive healthcare and awareness about preventive measures, says Dr Ahmedin Jemal, senior author of the American Cancer Society study. Photo: American Cancer Society

Additional reporting by staff reporter

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