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SINGAPORE \u2013 Lifestyle-related risk factors may <\/p>\n increase the prevalence of cancer cases here,<\/p>\n <\/a> despite Singapore\u2019s strong cancer prevention policies, said oncologists. <\/p>\n Achieving a substantial drop in cancer cases will require a multifaceted approach that includes the implementation of effective screening programmes, they add. <\/p>\n The World Health Organization unveiled research in February, suggesting that <\/p>\n almost four in 10 cancer cases worldwide were linked to preventable causes<\/p>\n <\/a> such as smoking, drinking and air pollution. <\/p>\n Published in the journal Nature Medicine, the study called for \u201ccontext-specific prevention strategies\u201d such as\u00a0strong tobacco control measures as well as\u00a0vaccination\u00a0against HPV and\u00a0other cancer-causing infections\u00a0like\u00a0hepatitis B.\u00a0<\/p>\n While these findings are applicable to Singapore, the Republic\u2019s more urbanised lifestyle means statistics here may differ slightly from global averages, said Dr Gloria Chan, a consultant with the haematology-oncology department at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS). <\/p>\n \u201cSingapore is a high-income, ageing society, so lifestyle-related risks play a larger role compared with other countries where infection-related cancers are more dominant,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Assistant Professor Dawn Chong, a senior consultant with the medical oncology division at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, said: \u201cWe are likely to observe a long-term decline in the incidence of preventable cancers associated with modifiable risk factors.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cHowever, achieving a substantial reduction in overall cancer incidence requires a multipronged approach. This includes modifying risk factors and implementing effective cancer screening programmes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In Singapore, 32.8 per cent of the years of healthy life lost to cancer \u2013 a measure referred to as disability-adjusted life years \u2013 in Singapore can be averted if all risk factors were eliminated, according to the 2023 Global Burden of Disease study published in 2025. Tobacco use and unhealthy diet were among the top risk factors noted. <\/p>\n Singapore\u2019s policies have helped stem certain cancers, noted Dr Chan. <\/p>\n \u201cSince the introduction of universal hepatitis B vaccination in the 1980s, we have effectively eliminated acute hepatitis B in the younger generation, which has led to a direct and sustained drop in viral-related liver cancer that we see only now as the vaccinated cohort reaches middle age,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccination coverage has also improved significantly with the<\/p>\n introduction of free vaccines for female Secondary 1 students<\/p>\n <\/a> in 2019, she said, adding this will effectively reduce cervical cancers over the next few decades. <\/p>\n However, such policies have their limits, Dr Chan said. <\/p>\n