title: Cancers in Australia in 2010 attributable to modifiable factors: summary and conclusions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the numbers and proportions of cancers occurring in Australia in 2010 attributable to modifiable causal factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We estimated the population attributable fraction (PAF) of cancers associated with exposure to 13 causal factors using standard formulae incorporating exposure prevalence and relative risk data. We also calculated the potential impact of changing exposure to some factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 32% of all cancers diagnosed in Australia in 2010 (excluding keratinocyte cancers) were attributable to the 13 factors assessed (men 33%; women 31%). Leading factors were tobacco smoke (PAF all cancers: 13.4%), solar radiation (6.2%), inadequate diet (6.1%) and overweight/obesity (3.4%). Factors conferring highest PAFs differed by sex: highest PAFs for men were tobacco smoke (15.8%), solar radiation (7.1%) and alcohol (3.0%); while highest PAFs for women were tobacco smoke (10.1%), solar radiation (5.0%) and overweight/obesity (4.5%). Sites with the highest counts of potentially preventable cancers were lung (8,569), colorectal (7,404), melanoma of the skin (7,220) and breast (3,233).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At least one in three cancers in Australia is attributable to exposure to known modifiable factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Up to 37,000 cancers could be prevented in Australia each year if the population avoided exposure to 13 common factors known or strongly suspected to cause cancer.
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Whiteman
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Penelope M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.|Cancer Research UK, Manchester Institute and Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Adele C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Neale
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fritschi
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bain
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Prevention, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D Max
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Parkin
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.
authors.forename: Louise F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Christina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nagle
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Nirmala
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pandeya
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antonsson
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.|School of Medicine, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.
authors.forename: Maria Celia B
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.
authors.forename: Torukiri I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Ibiebele
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.affiliation: Occupational Respiratory Epidemiology, School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Renee N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Carey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cancer; population attributable fraction; potential impact fraction; prevented fraction; risk factor