Nearly half of adult cancer deaths in the US could be prevented by making lifestyle changes, study finds

About 40% of new cancer cases among adults ages 30 and older in the United States — and nearly half of deaths — could be attributed to preventable risk factors. Smoking was the leading risk factor, contributing to nearly 1 in 5 cancer cases and nearly a third of cancer deaths. Other key risk factors included excess body weight, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, diet, and infections such as HPV. Researchers analyzed 18 modifiable risk factors across 30 types of cancer, with these lifestyle factors linked to more than 700,000 new cancer cases and more than 262,000 deaths in 2019.