EU can dodge millions of cancers by hitting tobacco, alcohol reduction targets, study claims
Almost three million new cancer diagnoses could be prevented in the EU between 2023 and 2050 if member states hit reduction targets on tobacco and alcohol, according to a new study by the European Commission and the OECD published on Monday.
Close to another million could be avoided if countries take the necessary measures to address air pollution and obesity.
Almost three million new cancer cases were expected to be diagnosed in the EU in 2022 and an additional 500,000 cases each year are estimated by 2040, according to the European Cancer Information System (ECIS).
In 2021, 1.15 million people died from cancer in the EU, which was the second-leading cause of mortality, on average, after cardiovascular disease.
Mortality has decreased in almost every EU country over the past decade - by 12% on average between 2011 and 2021 - with all countries except Bulgaria and Cyprus seeing a decrease for both men and women.
At the same time, cancer prevalence has increased, as early detection systems and advances in treatment have increased survival.
The new study shows that, in 2021, about 40% of cancer deaths in the EU were attributable to known behavioural, metabolic and environmental risk factors – such as tobacco, alcohol and, increasingly, unhealthy diets.
More than half of adults are overweight in the EU and rates among adolescents have increased in all countries except for the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
Tobacco still the greatest risk
While tobacco use has fallen in almost all countries, it is still the leading cause of cancer in the EU, being responsible for almost 20% of all cancer-related deaths in 2021.
European daily smokers have decreased from 22% in 2012 to 18% in 2022, on average, the study shows, Iceland is the country with the lowest share at 6% while Bulgaria leads the list with 29%.
With these numbers, almost 1.9 million new cancer cases could be prevented in the EU between 2023 and 2050 if tobacco reduction targets were met, with over a million cases prevented in Germany, France, Italy and Poland alone.
If alcohol consumption targets were met, an additional 1 million cancer cases could be prevented during this period.
Alcohol consumption saw a small decrease of 0.3 litres on average between 2010 and 2022 and major differences between member states.
Nine countries reported decreases of 10% or more – Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland and Lithuania – while seven showed increases of 10% or more – Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania and Spain.
Prevention measures in place
In 2021 the EU presented its Beating Cancer Plan, aimed at reducing the cancer burden and tackling risk factors.
The Plan aims to achieve a "tobacco-free generation" by 2040, to cut tobacco use by 30% by 2025, and to see the share of the EU population smoking cut to just 5%.
However, some measures, especially those targeting tobacco use have seen delays from their original presentation deadlines, raising concerns from healthcare professionals and stakeholders.
A linked reform to the EU’s Tobacco Taxation Directive was also pushed to 2025, with some questioning the institution’s commitment to its anti-tobacco agenda and whether the tobacco industry influenced those decisions.
The new study shows that, in 2021, EU countries spent an average of 6.1% of their health spending on prevention policies, such as informational and educational campaigns, healthy condition monitoring, and disease surveillance.
However, it warns, most of this spending is directed towards vaccination and personal protective equipment, rather than wide-ranging public health initiatives aimed at improving underlying population health.
