Half of All Cancer Deaths are Preventable

Nearly half of all cancer deaths in the United States are preventable, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Oncology.

Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston scoured through data from two existing studies on health problems, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, to determine just how many cases of cancer are preventable. They discovered that most cancer cases are caused by some type of preventable habit or act, such as smoking for instance.

Not surprisingly, cancer is the world's leading cause of preventable death. Containing some 6,000 to 7,000 different chemicals, many of which have been known to cause cancer, cigarette smoke is responsible for an estimated 480,000 deaths per year. While rates of smoking have been on the decline for the past ten years, it remains a troubling habit to which many people are addicted. If smokers kicked the habit, though, it could save hundreds of thousands of lives, both directly and indirectly through the elimination of secondhand smoke.

So, what steps can you take to prevent cancer? Leading a healthy lifestyle with a low risk of cancer is actually easier than you may think. Researchers say individuals should focus on three key elements: not smoking, minimize intake of alcoholic beverages, and maintain a healthy weight by exercising for at least 150 minutes per week. If men were to follow these guidelines, it could avert or delay roughly 67% of all cancer-related deaths in men. If women were to follow these guidelines, it would avert or delay roughly 59% of all cancer-related deaths, attesting to the power of good health.

In terms of diagnosis, implementing the three measures listed above would further reduce the number of cancer diagnoses by 40 to 70%.

"...these figures increased to 40 percent to 70 percent when assessed with regard to the broader U.S. population of whites, which has a much worse lifestyle pattern than our cohorts," wrote researchers Dr. Mingyang Song and Dr. Edward Giovannucci of Harvard Medical School.

Of course, stopping smoking is easier said than done, especially if you've been doing it for years (or decades). However, there are plenty of resources available to help smokers kick the habit. You can join a support group, for instance, to help motivate you through the journey. Nicotine gum and patches have also been proven effective as a smoking cessation tool.

This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association's JAMA Oncology.