Modifiable Risk Factors Account for Many Cancer Cases, Deaths
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, July 15, 2024 -- An estimated 40.0 percent of all incident cancer cases and 44.0 percent of cancer deaths are attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors among U.S. adults aged 30 years and older, according to a study published online July 11 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Farhad Islami, M.D., Ph.D., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated the proportion and number of invasive cancer cases and deaths overall and for 30 cancer types that could be attributed to potentially modifiable risk factors among adults aged 30 years and older in 2019. The risk factors included cigarette smoking; secondhand smoke; excess body weight; alcohol consumption; red and processed meat consumption; low consumption of fruits and vegetables, dietary fiber, and dietary calcium; physical inactivity; ultraviolet radiation; and seven carcinogenic infections.
The researchers found that in the United States, an estimated 40.0 percent of all incident cancers (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers) and 44.0 percent of cancer deaths in adults aged 30 years and older were attributable to the risk factors examined. The leading factor contributing to cancer cases and deaths overall was cigarette smoking (19.3 and 28.5 percent, respectively), followed by excess body weight (7.6 and 7.3 percent, respectively) and alcohol consumption (5.4 and 4.1 percent). The highest number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to these risk factors was for lung cancer (201,660 and 122,740 cases, respectively).
"These findings reinforce that the morbidity and premature mortality from cancer in the United States can be substantially reduced through broad and equitable implementation of known preventive initiatives," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2024
Read this next
Obesity Linked to Subsequent Neoplasms in Childhood Cancer Survivors
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- Body mass index (BMI) and physical activity are associated with the risk for subsequent neoplasms among childhood cancer survivors, according to a study...
Caregiver Concern Can Be Key to Identifying Critical Illness in Hospitalized Children
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- For pediatric patients presenting to a hospital, caregiver concern for clinical deterioration is associated with critical illness, according to a study...
Boarding Common for Pediatric Mental Health Emergency Department Visits
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- One-third of pediatric mental health emergency department visits resulting in admission or transfer exceeded 12 hours, according to a study published in...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.