Avoidable deaths through the primary prevention, early detection, and curative treatment of cancer worldwide: a population-based study

Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimate the global number of deaths that could have been avoided through primary prevention of five major cancer risk factors and improvements in early detection and curative treatment among people diagnosed with cancer in 2022. Using novel methodology developed at IARC, the study, published in The Lancet Global Health, found that almost half (4.5 million or 48%) of all deaths among people diagnosed with cancer in 2022 are avoidable.

Primary prevention of tobacco use, alcohol consumption, excess body weight, infections, and ultraviolet radiation exposure accounted for 3.1 million avoidable deaths (33%), and improvements in early detection and curative treatment accounted for 1.4 million avoidable deaths (14%).

Lung cancer accounted for the largest number of deaths avoidable through primary prevention globally, followed by liver cancer and stomach cancer, although the patterns varied by Human Development Index (HDI) level. Breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer accounted for the most deaths avoidable through early detection and curative treatment. The study also revealed striking disparities in avoidable mortality between countries, between regions, and by HDI level; the avoidable burden was largest in countries with low and medium HDI levels.

This study provides crucial data on the global avoidable mortality for 35 cancer sites and highlights the huge potential to reduce global cancer mortality by scaling up primary prevention and improving early detection and curative treatment. It also underscores the need for national cancer control planning, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of avoidable cancer is highest.

Preventable cancers such as cervical cancer and treatable cancers such as breast cancer disproportionately affect low-income settings. In high-income countries, there is a need to accelerate tobacco control to curb lung cancer deaths. The study’s findings provide further evidence to support the World Health Organization (WHO) “best buys” for tackling noncommunicable diseases, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and WHO’s key global initiatives for breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Langselius O, Rumgay H, Vignat J, Charvat H, Rutherford MJ, Mafra A, et al.
Avoidable deaths through the primary prevention, early detection, and curative treatment of cancer worldwide: a population-based study
Lancet Glob Health. Published online 16 February 2026;
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(25)00494-2

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