Many cancer cases in Kenya could be avoided if people adopt preventive measures, a new global study shows. The National Cancer Institute reports that around 47,000 Kenyans are diagnosed with cancer each year, but nearly 19,000 of these cases could be prevented through vaccination, early detection, and limiting exposure to known risks like tobacco and alcohol.
The research, conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), found that close to 40 per cent of cancers worldwide result from factors that can be prevented.
These include smoking, infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), harmful alcohol use, obesity, and polluted air. Globally, this accounted for approximately 7.1 million new cancer cases in 2022 linked to avoidable causes.
The study assessed 30 risk factors and identified tobacco as the leading cause of preventable cancer cases worldwide, followed by infections and alcohol. In Kenya, about three million people aged 15 to 65 use tobacco products, which are responsible for nearly 9,000 deaths each year, according to the Ministry of Health.
Lung, stomach, and cervical cancers contribute to almost half of all preventable cancer cases globally. In Kenya alone, cervical cancer claims around 3,591 lives every year out of about 5,845 new diagnoses.
HPV vaccination and regular screening can largely prevent the disease.
To address this, the government has rolled out the National Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan 2026–30.
The plan emphasizes vaccination, early detection, and timely treatment, aligning with WHO targets to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat by expanding access to vaccines and screening.
“This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent,” said Dr André Ilbawi, WHO team lead for cancer control and an author of the study. “By examining patterns across countries and population groups, we can give governments and individuals clearer guidance to prevent many cancers before they start,” he said.
The report also shows that preventable cancer affects men more than women, accounting for 45 per cent of new cases in men compared to 30 per cent in women.
Among men, smoking caused an estimated 23 per cent of cases, infections nine per cent, and alcohol four per cent. Globally, infections accounted for 11 per cent of new cases in women, followed by smoking at six per cent and high body weight at three per cent.
“This study offers the most comprehensive review yet of preventable cancer, combining infectious causes with behavioural, environmental and work-related risks,” said Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, deputy head of the IARC Cancer Surveillance Unit and senior author.
“Addressing these causes offers one of the strongest chances to cut the global cancer burden,” she added.
