Explore our review on the increasing burden, deepening inequality and effective prevention initiatives.
According to the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s 2025 Early Detection Survey, just 51% of U.S. adults 21 years of age and older say they have had a routine medical appointment or routine cancer screening in the last year.1 This is a 10-percentage point drop from the 2024 survey.The survey did reveal some encoura... Read More
06 Apr, 2026
There’s been a change in how often U.S. adults are going to routine medical appointments and cancer screenings, and according to the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s 2025 Early Detection Survey, we’re moving in the wrong direction.The survey revealed just 51% of U.S. adults 21 years of age and older say they have had a... Read More
06 Apr, 2026
Darren R. Brenner; Yibing Ruan; Chantelle Carbonell. JAMA Network Open. 2025;8(9):e2530904
Excess body size has emerged as an impactful component of population-level cancer risk. Current data suggest that at least 13 cancer sites are convincingly associated with excess body size, most often characterized by a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25.0. These results have been impressive, especially when compar... Read More
24 Mar, 2026
Xianhua Mao, Xinrong Zhang, Linda Henry, et al. JNCI: J. National Cancer Institute, 117:10, October 2025, 2053-2061
Among 919, 609 overweight or obese individuals with type 2 diabetes, 16 653 newly diagnosed with obesity-related cancer were recorded during the 2, 086 ,526 person-years of follow-up. GLP-1 agonist users (vs other glucose-lowering drugs users) were associated with lower incidence and risk of obesity-related cancer. Thi... Read More
24 Mar, 2026
Lindsey Wang, Rong Xu, David C Kaelber et al. JAMA Netw Open 2024;7;(7):e2421305
Thirteen human malignant neoplasms have been identified as obesity-associated cancers (OACs), ie, the presence of excess body fat is associated with increased risk of developing cancer and worse prognosis in patients with these specific tumors. The glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) class of pharmaceutica... Read More
24 Mar, 2026
Hao Dai; Yongqiu Li; Yao An Lee; et al. JAMA Oncol. Published online August 21, 2025
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are widely prescribed for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes and have recently gained popularity for weight management. We compared the incidence of 14 cancers among adults with obesity prescribed GLP-1RAs vs nonusers. A total of 86 632 matched adults were included,... Read More
24 Mar, 2026
Chen Wang, Mengxi Du, Hanseul Kim, et al. JAMA Oncol. 2026 Jan 1;12(1):49-57
In this study, higher UPF intake was associated with increased risk of early-onset colorectal conventional adenomas. These data highlight the important role of UPFs in early-onset colorectal tumorigenesis and support improving dietary quality as a strategy to mitigate the increasing burden of EOCRC. Among 29,105 female... Read More
24 Mar, 2026
Zeyu Wu, Yuncan Xing, Fangze Wei,et al. J Glob Health. 2026 Feb 27:16:04043
Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading global malignancy with a rising obesity-attributable burden. Emerging evidence highlights concerning trends in early-onset CRC and marked regional disparities, underscoring the need for comprehensive epidemiological assessments to inform targeted prevention strategies. From 199... Read More
24 Mar, 2026
Xiaoru Feng, Ruoqian Li, and Hang Yi. Obesity. 2025 Mar;33(3):567-577
The objective of this study was to estimate cancer burden attributable to excess body weight (EBW) and identify its main source. The incidence of 11 EBW-related cancers has increased from 1990 to 2021. Later-born cohorts and older age groups had higher cancer incidence rates. High BMI was the top contributor to changes... Read More
24 Mar, 2026
Rupayan Kundu , Rishabh Kundu , Sudipto Mukherjee. Ann Epidemiol. 114:7-11. 2026
Early-onset cancer (EOC), occurring in individuals aged 15-49 years, is a growing global health concern. High body mass index (BMI) is an established modifiable risk factor contributing to cancer morbidity and mortality. In 2021, 23,078 EOC deaths related to high BMI occurred, accounting for 2.33 % of global EOC morta... Read More
24 Mar, 2026