Framework for understanding cancer prevention

The worldwide increase in the number of people affected by cancer and the costs of cancer care has increased the urgency of efforts to translate knowledge about the causes of cancer into effective preventive interventions. A wide range of interventions has proven to be effective for cancer prevention, either by reducing exposure to known causes of human cancer or by disrupting the multistage progression of tumors. Examples of progress include the up to 40% decrease in the age-standardized lung cancer incidence rate among men in high- and middle-income countries due to Tobacco control; the 30% decrease in colorectal cancer incidence in the United States from widespread screening and the removal of precursor adenomatous tumors; the decreased prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in East Asia due to neonatal vaccination; and protection against excessive sun exposure and decreased incidence of melanoma and keratinocytic carcinomas in Australia.