February is National Cancer Prevention Month
Join the American Association for Cancer Research in supporting research to prevent cancer.
The federal government estimated that about 2 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) in 2025, and that more than 618,000 individuals died from their disease. About 40% of these cases can be attributed to preventable causes such as smoking, excess body weight, physical inactivity, and excessive exposure to the sun, according to the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2025. Further, about 5.94 million cancer deaths were averted between 1975 to 2020 due to public health interventions regarding cancer prevention and screening.
This means that steps such as quitting smoking (or never starting in the first place), maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, protecting your skin from the sun, and getting vaccinated against the pathogens that cause certain cancers can dramatically reduce your risk of cancer in many cases.
Get more information about cancer prevention in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2025, including facts about how modifying behaviors can impact cancer occurrence and outcomes. And take our Cancer Prevention Quiz to test your knowledge and learn more about cancer risk reduction.
In the United States, many of the greatest reductions in cancer morbidity and mortality have been achieved through the implementation of effective public education and policy initiatives.
For example, nationwide initiatives aimed at reducing tobacco use have led to declines in smoking from 42.4% of U.S. adults in 1965 to 11.6% in 2022. Still, nearly 19% of all cancer cases and 30% of cancer-related deaths are caused by smoking cigarettes, including 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths.
But certain segments of the U.S. population have a disproportionately higher burden of preventable cancer risk factors. Learn more about the racial and ethnic minorities and other medically underserved people who are at higher risk in the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2024.
It’s imperative that we implement effective, evidence-based practices that reduce modifiable cancer risk factors for everyone.
More on cancer prevention
The U.S. government recently updated guidelines for cervical cancer screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations to help make these prevention strategies for cervical cancer more convenient. Learn more about these changes, including the addition of at-home tests to screening guidelines and a reduction in the number of vaccinations needed for some children, on the AACR blog, Cancer Research Catalyst.
A session at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025 examined the science behind how alcohol consumption and obesity are connected to breast cancer risk, and the potential impact modifying behavior can have in decreasing risk. For example, people who reduced their drinking from two drinks a day to about one per day had an 8% lower risk of breast cancer than those who continued to drink heavily. Learn more about this session in Cancer Today.
As the popularity of ultraprocessed foods have increased in recent years—now accounting for nearly 60% of the Americans diet—people are asking whether these types of food can increase a person’s risk of cancer. Learn more about what classifies a food as being ultraprocessed and what research shows about how these foods impact health on Cancer Research Catalyst.
Scientists are investigating new ways to prevent breast cancer, with clinical trials involving vaccines, personalized doses of tamoxifen, and targeted inhibition of the cells that give rise to breast cancer. These and other promising new avenues of research are discussed on Cancer Research Catalyst.
what the aacr is doing in the area of cancer prevention
The AACR is committed to advancing the science of cancer prevention. The AACR Cancer Prevention Working Group provides a forum for communication and collaboration among basic, translational, and clinical scientists, physicians, and nurses, as well as medical or surgical oncologists in academia, industry, and government.
Our 10 peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention and Cancer Prevention Research, feature leading-edge research in the field.
With its funding partners, the AACR makes grants available to scientists studying prevention of a variety of cancers. These include:
- Meng Wang, MD, PhD, who received the 2024 Fanconi Cancer Foundation-AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research, for his work on “cancer prevention in Fanconi anemia through alleviating formaldehyde genotoxicity.”
- Zuen Ren, MD, PhD, who received the 2023 AACR-Pfizer Breast Cancer Research Fellowship, for his work on “exploring damaged progenitors as targets for breast cancer prevention.”
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There are many ways in which you can lend your talents to support lifesaving research. Learn how you can become an advocate for cancer research, participate in events to raise awareness, volunteer your time, and share your story of how cancer has affected your life.
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