5 lifestyle changes can significantly reduce your cancer risk, from giving up drinking to wearing sunscreen

In a world full of bad news, here’s a bit of good: A third to a half of all cancers are preventable.

Cancer deaths have been on the decline for more than three decades—and stayed on the decline, even with the pandemic raging, according to a recent report from the American Cancer Society. And they’re reliably dropping by a percentage point or two each year, Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society, tells Fortune.

The positive trend is due in part to advances in treatment, including vaccines that can fight cancer in those who have it and stop it from returning in those who’ve gone into remission. (There are also vaccines that can prevent it from occurring altogether.)

Almost 610,000 cancer deaths are expected in the U.S. this year, Knudsen says—a little more than 1,670 per day. The silver lining: “Eighteen percent of new cancer cases—and 16% of cancer deaths—are attributable to things people can modify.”

Fortune Well - March 20, 2023