HQ Team
February 9, 2026: Nearly 37% of all new cancers, or 7.1 million cases, could be prevented each year, according to a report by the World Health Organization.
The study took 2022 data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types and found 30 preventable causes such as tobacco, alcohol, high body mass index, physical inactivity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation and, for the first time, nine cancer-causing infections.
About four in 10 new cancer cases worldwide in 2022 – or about 7.1 million out of 18.7 million – are attributable to the preventable causes, according to the report.
It identified tobacco as the leading preventable cause of cancer, globally responsible for 15% of all new cancer cases, followed by infections at 10% and alcohol consumption at three per cent.
Three cancer types – lung, stomach and cervical cancer – accounted for nearly half of all preventable cancer cases in both men and women, globally.
Smoking, air pollution
Lung cancer was primarily linked to smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer was attributable to Helicobacter pylori infection, and cervical cancer was caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).
The WHO advocated context-specific prevention strategies that included strong tobacco control measures, alcohol regulation, vaccination against cancer-causing infections such as HPV and hepatitis B.
The agency called for improved air quality, safer workplaces, and healthier food and physical activity environments.
“This landmark study is a comprehensive assessment of preventable cancer worldwide, incorporating for the first time infectious causes of cancer alongside behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks,” said Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) surveillance unit and senior author of the study.
“Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden.”
More men than women
Dr André Ilbawi, WHO Team Lead for Cancer Control, and author of the study, said: “By examining patterns across countries and population groups, we can provide governments and individuals with more specific information to help prevent many cancer cases before they start.”
The burden of preventable cancer was substantially higher in men than in women, with 45% of new cancer cases in men compared with 30% in women.
In men, smoking accounted for an estimated 23% of all new cancer cases, followed by infections at nine per cent and alcohol at four per cent.
Among women globally, infections accounted for 11% of all new cancer cases, followed by smoking at six per cent and high body mass index at three per cent.
Preventable cancer patterns showed differences between regions due to behavioural, environmental, occupational, and infectious risk factors, as well as socioeconomic development, national prevention policies, and health system capacity.
Among women, preventable cancers ranged from 24% in North Africa and West Asia to 38% in sub-Saharan Africa. Among men, the highest burden was observed in East Asia at 57%, and the lowest in Latin America and the Caribbean at 28%.
