Daily briefing: More than one-third of cancer cases are preventable

"Nearly 40% of new cancer cases worldwide are potentially preventable, according to a new analysis. The study found that in 2022, smoking tobacco was the leading contributor to cancer cases, followed by infections and drinking alcohol. Reducing such risk factors is "one of the most powerful ways that we can potentially reduce the future cancer burden", says cancer epidemiologist and study co-author Hanna Fink."

"Cuts to global development funding could lead to 9.4 million additional deaths in the next four years, with about 2.5 million of those deaths in children under 5, compared to if funding had been maintained at 2023 levels. The modelling study comes roughly one year after the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was wiped out by the administration of US President Donald Trump, compounded by cuts made by other top funders such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada. "We should take the precise numbers with caution, but I think the overall conclusion is likely correct," says global-development researcher Lee Crawfurd. "People will die in large numbers.""

"The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) will free some research from the heavy bureaucratic requirements that are designed for clinical trials but are sometimes ill-suited to other fields, such as basic psychology and behavioural studies. Many researchers say they are relieved by the change. But others question how the laudable goals of the requirements - to increase the transparency of research on human participants and prevent"

Nearly 40% of new cancer cases worldwide in 2022 were potentially preventable, with smoking tobacco the leading contributor, followed by infections and alcohol consumption. Reducing these modifiable risk factors offers a powerful route to lower future cancer burden. Cuts to global development funding could cause roughly 9.4 million additional deaths over four years, including about 2.5 million children under five, driven by reductions at major funders and the dismantling of key agencies. The US NIH will relax some clinical-trial-style bureaucracy for certain human-research fields, prompting relief from some researchers and concern from others about transparency and participant protection. An unexpected success involving ice skates was also reported.

Read at Nature