Almost half of all cancer deaths can be avoided

Nearly half of all cancer deaths globally can be attributed to preventable risk factors, according to a new peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet.

🔎 More deets… The study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, set out to analyze the relationship between different risk factors and cancer, the second leading cause of death worldwide behind heart disease.

After reviewing global health data from 204 countries and territories, researchers found more than ½ of all cancer-related deaths in men and over ⅓ of such deaths in women – 44.4% in total – ultimately stem from avoidable causes.

• Smoking was the preventable risk factor responsible for the most deaths, followed by drinking too much alcohol and having a high body-mass index (BMI).
• The data also showed cancer deaths stemming from these causes are on the rise, increasing 20.4% worldwide from 2010 to 2019.

📝 The big picture: In an editorial published alongside the study, the researchers noted people living closer to the poverty level were more likely to die from cancer that could have been avoided.