Nearly 40% of Cancer Cases Preventable, WHO Says

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that almost four in every ten cancer cases worldwide are associated with preventable risk factors. The organization is urging countries to boost investment in cancer prevention strategies to combat the growing global burden of the disease.

Key preventable risk factors identified by the WHO include infections like HPV, hepatitis B and C, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, obesity, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and air pollution. Dr. Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), noted that while some countries have seen reductions in certain cancer rates due to preventive measures, overall progress remains slow. She highlighted a shift in the global cancer profile, increasingly influenced by factors like obesity, inactivity, poor diets, and air pollution, underscoring the need for prevention to remain a political priority.

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although some countries had recorded declines in certain cancer rates after implementing preventive measures, overall progress remained slow.

This call to action follows the release of the WHO Global Status Report on Cancer 2026. The report projects that annual cancer cases could surge from the current estimated 20.6 million to nearly 35 million by 2050 if immediate measures are not implemented. Cancer is currently the second leading cause of death globally, after cardiovascular diseases, claiming approximately 10 million lives each year.

In Ghana, the situation is particularly concerning, with around 28,000 new cancer cases diagnosed annually and nearly 18,000 deaths. Health experts attribute this high mortality rate primarily to late-stage diagnoses, often stemming from inadequate screening and low public awareness of preventable risk factors. While efforts like free primary healthcare, HPV vaccination, hepatitis B immunization, and tobacco control measures are in place, experts continue to emphasize individual responsibility for health through lifestyle choices and support for environmental protection.

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the global cancer profile was changing, increasingly influenced by rising levels of obesity, physical inactivity, poor diets and air pollution, and stressed that cancer prevention must remain a political priority.