What People Get Wrong About Reducing Cancer Risk
Reducing Cancer Risk: what people commonly get wrong, set against what published UK guidance says.
A substantial share of UK cancers are attributed to factors that can be changed, and smoking dominates the list.
Key takeaways
- Largest single preventable cause: smoking
- Also significant: excess weight, alcohol, UV exposure, low fibre, processed meat
- Most useful single change: Stop smoking; nothing else comes close.
- Commonest mistake: Sunbeds, in any amount.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
What the guidance actually says
The published position, before we get to what people believe instead.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Largest single preventable cause | smoking |
| Also significant | excess weight, alcohol, UV exposure, low fibre, processed meat |
| Alcohol | no threshold below which cancer risk is known to be absent |
| Physical activity | 150 minutes moderate a week |
| HPV vaccination | prevents almost all cervical cancer |
Where people go wrong
What people tend to think, set against what is actually published.
- Sunbeds, in any amount
- Assuming supplements reduce cancer risk; most trials show no benefit
- Beta-carotene supplements if you smoke, which raise lung cancer risk
What to do instead
- Stop smoking; nothing else comes close
- Keep within the alcohol guideline and have drink-free days
- Protect skin from UV with shade, clothing and sunscreen
- Take up HPV vaccination and screening when offered
The part that is genuinely uncertain
Guidance changes, and it changes because evidence does. The figures above reflect current UK guidance from the bodies named at the foot of this page; where those bodies revise their position, theirs is the account to follow rather than this one.
Where to go next
- Reducing Cancer Risk: The Practical To-Do List
- The First Steps With Reducing Cancer Risk
- Reducing Cancer Risk — the reference entry
- Skin Cancer: What Published Guidance Supports
- Bowel Cancer: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
When to speak to a doctor
Report any persistent unexplained symptom to a GP rather than relying on prevention. See a GP promptly for unexplained weight loss, a new lump, a cough lasting more than three weeks, blood in urine or stool, or a changing mole.
Where this comes from
- Cancer Research UK — preventable cancers
- World Cancer Research Fund — cancer prevention recommendations
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
