Health

Newsweek - Nearly four in 10 cancer cases diagnosed around the world in 2022 can be traced back to risks people and societies have the power to change, according to a sweeping new global study. 

The analysis, published in Nature Medicine, examined 36 cancer types across 185 countries and linked today’s cancer diagnoses to how common certain risk factors were about a decade earlier. The time lag reflected the reality that cancers often take years to develop after exposure. 

Of the 18.7 million new cancer cases in 2022 (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer), about 7.1 million—37.8 percent—were associated with 30 modifiable risk factors.

These include behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol, infections, environmental exposures and workplace risks. 

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Cancer is already one of the world’s leading causes of illness and death, with more than 20 million new cases and nearly 10 million deaths recorded in 2022. If current trends hold, new cases are projected to rise by about 50 percent by 2040. Researchers said prevention will be critical to slowing that surge. 

Tobacco smoking remains the single largest contributor, tied to 15.1 percent of global cancer cases. Infections followed at 10.2 percent and alcohol consumption at 3.2 percent. 

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Recent figures indicate 47 percent of Americans have high blood pressure, and of the people who had uncontrolled hypertension, 61 percent aren’t on medication. (Read on Gizmodo)