Almost half of cancer deaths in the UK are caused by risk factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol and being overweight, according to new research. Scientists say the figures show cancer is "growing in magnitude" as a public health challenge.
The study is the first to estimate how a list of 34 risk factors contribute to cancer deaths and ill health globally, regionally and nationally, across age groups, for both sexes and over time. Nearly 4.45 million cancer deaths were caused by risk factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol and being overweight in 2019 internationally.
The study says 4.45 million represents 44.4% of all cancer deaths across the world. However, the data indicates that the UK number of cancer deaths from the risk factors was above the global average, at 49.7%.
