Cancer is the disease that takes the second most lives in the world. Understanding the extent, and why so many people get sick, is crucial to finding ways to prevent it. That is one of the reasons why researchers have now analyzed data from more than 200 countries to find answers. The results of the work show that almost half of the world’s cancer cases could have been avoided. – Smoking continues to be the leading risk factor for cancer globally, says Dr Christopher Murray. He is director at the University of Washington in the United States. Alcohol and obesity follow close behind, shows the study that was recently published in the journal The Lancet. Can millions of annual deaths be avoided? In the course of this project, the researchers have collected and analyzed global data on deaths and disability from 2010 until 2019. They have examined 23 different types of cancer, as well as even more risk factors. Smoke, alcohol and a high BMI are said to be the cause of 4.45 million deaths related to cancer in 2019. This figure corresponds to just under half of all cancer deaths worldwide. Lung cancer, cancer of the trachea and cancer of the bronchi top the statistics among both sexes. And now the researchers believe that most of these deaths should be preventable. They show, among other things, that increased taxes on tobacco, as well as advertising bans on alcohol and tobacco have been shown to have preventive effects. – These findings help to confirm what smaller studies have previously told us. So you just have to take it to heart: Don’t smoke, avoid becoming overweight and don’t drink too much alcohol, says Rudolf Kaaks. He is employed at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. The analyzes also showed that obesity has had a significant impact on cancer statistics over the past ten years. For approximately 65 years, people have both known and been informed that smoke is harmful to us. Figures from the new study show that it is one of the most frequent causes of people dying from cancer even today. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news Obesity requires attention – The new study shows the importance of simple prevention. And the increase in cancer you see linked to obesity really demands our attention. That is what Dr. William Dahut writes in an e-mail to CNN. He is the scientific director of the American Cancer Society. He further writes that a change in behavior can lead to several million lives being saved. Dahut emphasizes that the use of tobacco is still very problematic, even though for 65 years people have been aware of the risks that use can have. What about Norway? Figures from Norway show that 36,998 people got cancer last year, 19,684 of them were men. 17,314 women were affected. The four most common forms of cancer here are prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and bowel cancer. Lung cancer is the smoking-related form of cancer that causes the most deaths, also in Norway. Although smoking is a bigger problem in a number of other countries. – Here, too, the damaging effects are so great that professionals find it hard to take it in, says researcher and senior physician Tom K. Grimsrud. He is employed by the Cancer Registry. – It has been a continuous disaster through decade after decade. And it is entirely man-made – driven by industry greed, users’ addiction to nicotine, reckless marketing and a lack of understanding of the scale of the problem. Grimsrud believes the new study is solid: The project is prestigious, and is led by skilled and experienced people. – I believe that this is the closest we can get to an overview of preventable cancer worldwide, he says to news. According to the research, obesity and overweight are one of the risk factors for cancer that have increased the most in the last ten years. Photo: Colourbox Knowledge is essential The Chief Medical Officer at the Cancer Registry believes that it is difficult for individuals to understand the seriousness of the statistics. – I think everyone knows that smoke, alcohol and obesity are harmful or harmful to health in several ways. But not the extent of the health damage. – What more can be done to make people understand the seriousness? – I think much of the responsibility must be borne by the health authorities, the politicians and their advisers. We have had brilliant examples of good handling of these questions, but there is far too much between them, says Grimsrud. He emphasizes that factual knowledge is crucial for us to be able to create change. – There are strong financial interests that work both openly and covertly to spread and increase the use of tobacco and alcohol. Without systematic efforts from the authorities and voluntary organisations, the situation would probably be significantly worse than it is in Norway today. Researcher and senior physician Tom K. Grimsrud believes that it may be possible to reduce the number of deaths related to cancer, but that it will take a long time if you just sit with your hands in your lap. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news Not everything is possible to prevent In the world, more than 19 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2020. 10 million of them resulted in death. By 2040, the extent is expected to increase to around 30 million new cases annually, according to the Global Cancer Observatory. According to the researchers of the new study, not all cancers caused by smoking, alcohol and obesity will be preventable. But that early intervention and investigations will help. They emphasize that there may also be other reasons behind this. Nevertheless, they believe that a targeted effort can mean a lot.
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New research shows that approximately half of the world’s cancer cases could have been avoided – news Trøndelag
