50% of US Cancer Deaths Linked to Preventable Lifestyle Choices

A recent study led by the American Cancer Society (ACS) reveals that approximately 40% of cancer cases and nearly 50% of cancer deaths in U.S. adults aged 30 and older are linked to modifiable risk factors.

Modifiable risk factors are behaviors or exposures that can be changed to reduce the risk of developing diseases, including cancer. These factors are within an individual’s control and can be influenced by lifestyle choices and interventions.

Examples of modifiable risk factors include:

• Cigarette Smoking: Quitting smoking can significantly reduce the risk of lung and other cancers.
• Excess Body Weight: Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise can lower the risk of various cancers.
• Alcohol Consumption: Reducing alcohol intake can decrease the risk of cancers like liver, breast, and colorectal cancer.
• Physical Inactivity: Regular physical activity can help lower the risk of several types of cancer.
• Diet: Consuming a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while reducing red and processed meats can reduce cancer risk.
• UV Radiation Exposure: Protecting skin from excessive sun exposure can prevent skin cancers, including melanoma.
• Infections: Vaccinations and treatments for infections such as HPV and hepatitis B and C can reduce cancer risk associated with these infections.

Published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the study emphasizes the impact of modifiable risk factors on cancer prevention.

Key Findings:

Leading Risk Factors

• Cigarette Smoking: The leading modifiable risk factor, responsible for 19.3% of cancer cases (344,070 cases) and 28.5% of cancer deaths (104,410 deaths) in 2019.
• Excess Body Weight: The second leading risk factor, accounting for 7.6% of cases and 7.3% of deaths.
• Alcohol Consumption: Contributes to 5.4% of cancer cases and 4.1% of cancer deaths.

Cancer Types

• Lung Cancer: Smoking is responsible for 85.6% of lung cancer cases and 67.4% of lung cancer deaths.
• Larynx, Pharynx, and Oral Cavity Cancers: High proportions of cases are attributable to smoking.
• Corpus Uteri and Breast Cancers: Excess body weight is a significant contributor, particularly in women.

Demographics

• Gender Differences: The impact of risk factors varies by gender. For example, excess body weight significantly affects cancer cases in women, particularly corpus uteri and breast cancers.

Prevention and Policy

• Tobacco Control: Comprehensive policies are needed to promote smoking cessation and early detection of lung cancer.
• Healthy Weight Management: Interventions to maintain healthy body weight can reduce cancer cases and deaths.
• Vaccinations: Increased access to HPV and HBV vaccinations can reduce cancer risks associated with these infections.

Additional Key Findings

• UV Radiation: Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is a significant risk factor for skin melanoma, accounting for 92.2% of cases.
• Physical Inactivity: Contributes to 3.1% of cancer cases, highlighting the importance of regular exercise.
• Dietary Factors: Low consumption of fruits and vegetables, dietary fiber, and calcium are associated with higher cancer risks.

Methodology:

Researchers used national data on cancer incidence, mortality, and risk factor prevalence from 2019, analyzing 30 cancer types. They estimated the proportion of cancer cases and deaths attributable to factors like smoking, secondhand smoke, excess body weight, alcohol consumption, diet, physical inactivity, UV radiation, and infections with viruses such as HPV and hepatitis B and C.

Conclusion:

The study’s findings highlight the critical need for public health interventions focusing on lifestyle changes to significantly reduce cancer incidence and mortality. Effective measures include promoting smoking cessation, encouraging healthy diets and physical activity, and increasing vaccination coverage.

Quotes:

“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. This finding underscores the importance of implementing comprehensive tobacco control policies in each state to promote smoking cessation, as well as heightened efforts to increase screening for early detection of lung cancer, when treatment could be more effective,” said Dr. Farhad Islami, senior scientific director, cancer disparity research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report. “Interventions to help maintain healthy body weight and diet can also substantially reduce the number of cancer cases and deaths in the country, especially given the increasing incidence of several cancer types associated with excess body weight, particularly in younger individuals.”

“These findings show there is a continued need to increase equitable access to preventive health care and awareness about preventive measures. Effective vaccines are available for hepatitis B virus, that causes liver cancer and HPV, which can cause several cancer types, including cervical, other anogenital, and oropharyngeal cancers,” added Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president, surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society and senior author of the study. “Vaccination at the recommended time can substantially reduce the risk of chronic infection, and consequently, cancers associated with these viruses. HPV vaccination uptake in the United State is suboptimal.”

Implications:

These findings reinforce the potential to mitigate the cancer burden through targeted preventive measures and lifestyle modifications, aiming for a healthier population and lower cancer-related mortality.

Visual Presentation

References

1. New study finds 40% of cancer cases and almost half of all deaths in the US linked to modifiable risk factors. News release – Newswise. American Cancer Society (ACS). July 11, 2024.

2. Islami F, Marlow C. E, Thomson B, et al. Proportion and number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in the United States, 2019. CA Cancer J Clin. Published online July 11, 2024. doi:10.3322/caac.21858