Guideline / position statementindependent cross-checkabstract checked I-CAN-118 standard review
WHO: many cancers are preventable and curable
Cancer - WHO fact sheet
Overview
World Health Organization. who.int 2026
About 38% of cancers can be prevented by avoiding risk factors, and many can be cured with early, effective treatment.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: moderate
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Summarise cancer facts.
- How was the study done?
Agency fact sheet.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
Global.
- What was actually found?
Preventable external causes; curable with treatment.
- How large was the observed effect?
38% preventable.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Avoid tobacco and alcohol; get treated early.
- What are the study's limitations?
Summary.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Contradicts 'not caused by external agents'.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
High.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Detailed estimates.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- World Health Organization
- Journal
- who.int
- Year
- 2026
- Identifier
- Verification
- verified – WebFetch of URL 2026-10-26 (fact sheet dated 3 July 2026)
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
Agency
2. Research question
Key facts on cancer causes, prevention and treatment
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Guideline / position statement – Agency fact sheet
- Population
Global
- Country
Global
- Period
2026
- Sample size
not applicable
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
not applicable
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Risk factors
- Comparator
not applicable
- Endpoints
not applicable
- Statistical methods
not applicable
5. Actual results
- Results
'Approximately 38% of cancers can currently be prevented by avoiding risk factors'; tobacco use, alcohol, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and air pollution are risk factors; about 10% of cancers diagnosed in 2022 were attributed to carcinogenic infections; 'Many cancers can be cured if detected early and treated effectively.'
- Absolute risks
not applicable
- Authors' conclusion
Prevention, early detection and effective treatment reduce the cancer burden.
6. Strengths
- Authoritative, current
7. Weaknesses
- Summary without methods
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- none applicable
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- not assessable
- Rationale
Agency statement.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Not applicable.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
Contradicts the claim that cancer is not caused by external agents and supports early effective treatment.
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
High.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Authoritative current summary.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | moderate |
| Risk of bias | not assessable |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | unknown |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | consistent |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
15. Linked fact checks
- Cancer is the body's own plan ('a self plan'): body cells are ordered to transform because this was necessary for the person's life; it is not caused by external agents. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim
- Smoking (and similar exposures) should not be blamed for cancer; only massive exposures such as Hiroshima cause cancer, and there is 'no such thing as early death' from smoking. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim
- Cancer will respond to the Tayebat system; a patient with a malignant tumour should start the system now (diet as cancer treatment). – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim