Just under half of all cancer deaths in the US and 40 per cent of cases were linked to preventable factors, according to new research. A by the American Cancer Society (ACS) found that a high number of cancer cases and deaths in adults 30 and older were due to factors that could potentially be prevented, like cigarette smoking and poor diet. The findings revealed that 40 per cent of cases and about half of all cancer deaths in the United States are attributed to factors that could be controlled.
Researchers analysed the incidence and mortality of 30 types of cancer in relation to 18 modifiable risk factors. “A large number of cancer cases and deaths in the United States are attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors, indicating the potential to substantially reduce the cancer burden through broad and equitable implementation of preventive initiatives,” Dr Farhad Islami, lead author of the study, told Euronews Health. The factors included in the study ranged from cigarette smoking, excess body weight, and drinking alcohol, to the consumption of red and processed meat, low intake of fruits and vegetables, dietary fiber, and dietary calcium.
Other factors were physical inactivity, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and cancer-causing infections, such as human papillomavirus (HPV). Cigarette smoking was identified as the leading risk factor and was responsible for 20 per cent of all cancer cases and 30 per cent of cancer deaths in the US. It was followed by excess body weig.
