Up to four in ten cancer cases worldwide could be prevented, according to a new global analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The study examines 30 preventable causes, including tobacco, alcohol, high body mass index, physical inactivity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation – and for the first time – nine cancer-causing infections.

Released ahead of World Cancer Day, 4 February, the analysis estimates that 37% of all new cancer cases in 2022, around 7.1 million cases, were linked to preventable causes. The findings highlight the enormous potential of prevention in reducing the global cancer burden.

Drawing on data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types, the study identifies tobacco as the leading preventable cause of cancer, globally responsible for 15% of all new cancer cases, followed by infections (10%) and alcohol consumption (3%).