February 6, 2012 | 1 minute read

Cancer risk increases dramatically with age and America’s growing aging population does not bode well for the number of people affected by this disease.

Using population and cancer incidence data, WCRF/AICR calculated that by 2030, the number of cancer cases will be over 50 percent higher than it is today if all else stays the same.

Not all cancers are preventable. Yet research shows that approximately one-third of the most common cancers can be prevented, today and three decades from now through staying a healthy weight, regular physical activity, and eating healthy. In 2030, preventing one-third of cancer cases translates into preventing 740,000 of the predicted 2,220,692 cancers.

The figures were announced for World Cancer Day, which was Saturday. But it’s also National Cancer Prevention Month, an opportunity to note how to reduce the risk of cancer, and lower those predictions.

Here are cancer prevention estimates, based on AICR/WCRF’s evidence-based reports.

Here are the three basic steps on how to reduce your cancer risk