Tobacco, alcohol: nearly half of cancers attributable to an already identified risk factor

In the fight against cancer, tobacco and alcohol are two well-identified risk factors and these are attributed to behaviors that can be corrected. Prevention seems to be one of the best weapons in this field. Nevertheless, a large number of cancers are not attributable to modifiable risk factors. Researchers, in a very large study, then demonstrate why preventive measures are insufficient.

Nearly half of cancers worldwide are attributable to a given risk factor, primarily the tobacco and thealcoholconcludes a gigantic study published on Friday, insisting on the importance of the measures of prevention without making it a panacea. ” According to our analysis, 44.4% of cancer deaths worldwide (…) are attributable to a risk factor that has been measured “says this study, published in Tea Lancet and carried out under the Global Burden of Disease.

This vast research program, financed by the foundation Bill Gatesis on an unparalleled scale, involving several thousand researchers in most countries of the world.

This work allows to know in more detail the risk factors according to the regions of the world even if, on the whole, its conclusions confirm what was already known: tobacco is by far the main element having favored cancer (33.9%), followed by alcohol (7.4 %).

Why prevention is not enough

Above all, these conclusions argue for giving great importance to prevention in matter of public health, since many of these risk factors relate to behaviors that can be changed or avoided. However, a good half of cancers are not attributable to a given risk factor, which shows that the prevention not enough.

This, according to the authors, must therefore be accompanied by two other pillars: a diagnosis sufficiently early and effective treatments.

In an independent commentary, published in the same edition of The Lancet, two epidemiologists supported these conclusions, also believing that the study underlines the importance of prevention. These two commentators, Diana Sarfati and Jason Gurney, however, called for not necessarily taking for silver considering the precision of the estimates given, noting that the collection of data is, by nature, subject to numerous shortcomings in several countries.