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By The Numbers

How Much – and What Kind – of Cancers are Preventable?

The AICR policy report sought to determine how much cancer could be prevented through diet, physical activity and weight management.

Estimated Cases of US Cancers Preventable by Diet, Activity, and Weight Management

Cancer TypePercentage Prevented*Number of Cases Prevented
Breast, female 38% 88,289
Prostate 11% 26,245
Gallbladder 21% 2,060
Endometrial 59% 29,240
Esophageal 69% 12,413
Colorectal 50% 71,410
Pancreatic 19% 8,592
Mouth, Pharyngeal & Laryngeal 63% 23,682
Kidney 24% 15,636
Liver 15% 4,596
Stomach 47% 10,152
Lung 36% 82,148
TOTAL 374,464

*Estimated, based on: AICR/WRCF, Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention; Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer and its Continuous Update reports; National Cancer Institute estimated number of cases

Preventability estimates were calculated using information on:

  • Cancer risk associated with lifestyle factor
  • Prevalence of low, moderate and high levels/consumption of lifestyle factor in each country
  • Incidence of different cancers in each country

You can read the full methodology used to calculate the estimates in Appendix A of the Policy Report.

Briefly: Estimates were made for lifestyle factors judged to be convincing or probable modifiers of cancer risk in the report and its continuous updates, with a few exceptions; thus 12 cancers were included.

Highest versus lowest risk estimates were used for cancer risk. One research study (ideally large and recent) was chosen from those collected as part of the 2007 report and its continuous updates, where the size of effect was representative of all studies. Information on prevalence of lifestyle factors was obtained from national surveys. These two pieces of information were used to estimate preventability for each lifestyle factor.

Colorectal cancer site in context

Find out what the science says about how to help prevent these and other specific cancers.

Or visit our Reducing Your Risk section to start making the small, everyday changes that protect against many cancers.

Published on September 23, 2013

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