Third of cancer cases caused by unhealthy lifestyle, living environment

One in three cancer cases in the Netherlands is caused by an unhealthy lifestyle or living environment, according to a study by TNO on data from 2019, the last year before the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Dutch cancer association, KWF Kankerbestrijding, that comes down to around 40,000 cancer diagnoses that can be prevented.

Smoking is still the leading cause of cancer, with 19,095 diagnoses (16 percent of all cases). Five percent of cancer cases were caused by sun exposure, and another 5 percent by an unhealthy diet.

According to the KWF, many cancer cases are bad luck or caused by factors outside an individuals’ control, like pollution or exposure to toxic substances at work. But there is a lot that individual people can do to lower their risk of getting cancer.

“You really can do something yourself. The most important thing is not smoking, a healthy diet, and dealing carefully with UV radiation,” KWF director Carla van Gils told NOS.

It is the government’s job to ensure a healthy living environment by reducing pollution and making sure companies don’t expose their workers to toxic substances. And the KWF urged the government to take that job seriously.

But the government can also do a lot to encourage healthy living, for example, by reducing the number of cigarette sales points. “In addition, 80 percent of what is in the supermarket is unhealthy. That should be the other way around so that a healthy choice becomes much easier,” Van Gils told NOS.

KWF also recommends an advertising ban on unhealthy food and alcohol and making it easier to exercise. “Provide a playing environment for children that is attractive, or make sports subscriptions accessible,” Van Gils said.