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. 2022 Jan 11;12(1):549.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-04564-2.

Updated fraction of cancer attributable to lifestyle and environmental factors in Denmark in 2018

Anne Julie Tybjerg  1 , Søren Friis  1 , Katrina Brown  2 , Mef Christina Nilbert  1   3 , Lina Morch  1 , Brian Køster  4   5
Affiliations

Updated fraction of cancer attributable to lifestyle and environmental factors in Denmark in 2018

Anne Julie Tybjerg et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Environmental exposures and avoidable risk factors account for a large proportion of cancer burden. Exposures and lifestyle vary over time and between populations, which calls for updated and population-specific quantification of how various avoidable risk factors influence cancer risk to plan and design rational and targeted prevention initiatives. The study considered 12 risk-factor groups categorized as class I carcinogens by IARC/WCRF. Exposure data was derived from national studies and surveys and were linked to cancer incidence in 2018 based on the nationwide Danish Cancer Registry. In 2018, 23,078 men and 21,196 women were diagnosed with cancer excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, in Denmark. Of these, 14,235 (32.2%) were estimated to be attributable to avoidable class I carcinogens. Tobacco smoking accounted for 14.6% of total cancers, followed by UV-radiation that accounted for 5.8%. Based on exposure data from 2008, one-third of the cancers in Denmark in 2018 are estimated to be caused by class I carcinogens with tobacco use being the main contributor followed by UV-radiation. Our results should be integrated with public health policies to effectively increase awareness and promote strategies to decrease risk factor exposures at population level.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Population attributable fraction of cancer in Denmark in 2018 distributed on known class I carcinogen risk factors. The total number of cancers in Denmark in 2018 was 14,235 and the fraction of attributable cancers to known risk factors was 32.2%.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Population attributable fraction of cancer among women and men in Denmark in 2018 distributed on cancer type and known class I carcinogen risk factors. (b) Population attributable fraction of cancer among women in Denmark in 2018 distributed on cancer type and known class I carcinogen risk factors. (c) Population attributable fraction of cancer among men in Denmark in 2018 distributed on cancer type and known class I carcinogen risk factors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Population attributable fraction of cancer among women and men in Denmark in 2018 distributed on cancer type and known class I carcinogen risk factors. (b) Population attributable fraction of cancer among women in Denmark in 2018 distributed on cancer type and known class I carcinogen risk factors. (c) Population attributable fraction of cancer among men in Denmark in 2018 distributed on cancer type and known class I carcinogen risk factors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Population attributable fraction of cancer among women and men in Denmark in 2018 distributed on cancer type and known class I carcinogen risk factors. (b) Population attributable fraction of cancer among women in Denmark in 2018 distributed on cancer type and known class I carcinogen risk factors. (c) Population attributable fraction of cancer among men in Denmark in 2018 distributed on cancer type and known class I carcinogen risk factors.
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