01 March 2026 : Editorial
Editorial: Recently Identified Global Trends in Cancer Incidence and Mortality and Modifiable Cancer Risk Factors
Dinah V. Parums
A 1*
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.953221
Med Sci Monit 2026; 32:e953221
Table 1 Global estimates of modifiable risk factors for new cancers in 2022 [2].
| Risk factor (men & women) | Number of attributable cases | PAF (%) |
|---|---|---|
| All modifiable risk factors | 7,073,726 | 37.8% |
| Top ten modifiable risk factors | ||
| Tobacco smoking | 3,333,367 | 15.1% |
| Infections* | 2,255,922 | 10.2% |
| Alcohol consumption | 704,566 | 3.2% |
| High body mass index (BMI) | 537,702 | 2.4% |
| Air pollution | 434,282 | 2.0% |
| Occupational exposures** | 377,699 | 1.7% |
| Lack of exercise | 271,501 | 1.2% |
| Ultraviolet (UV) radiation | 239,397 | 1.1% |
| Chewing tobacco & areca nut | 120,216 | 0.5% |
| Suboptimal breastfeeding | 87,971 | 0.4% |
| PAF – population attributable factor (%), derived from modeling estimates. * Infectious agents included: ; human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58 and 59; hepatitis B virus (HBV); hepatitis C virus (HCV); Epstein-Barr virus (EBV); human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8); ; Human T-lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1); (liver fluke); and (Chinese liver fluke). ** Occupational exposures including from asbestos, arsenic, benzene, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, diesel engine exhaust, formaldehyde, nickel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, silica, sulfuric acid, and trichloroethylene. Data from Fink et al, 2026 []. | ||