CANBERRA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Adopting healthy behaviors can cut a person's risk of developing cancer by a third, the chief of Cancer Australia has said.
Ahead of the World Cancer Day on Feb. 4, Cancer Australia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Helen Zorbas offered Australians advice on how to reduce their cancer risk.
She said that quitting smoking and reducing consumption of alcohol and red meat were the best things a person could do to avoid cancer.
Cancer is the most burdensome disease in Australia measured by the impact of premature death and living with illness and/or injury.
The Cancer Council of Australia says that one in every two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85 with 134,000 new cases expected in 2018.
Despite more people dying from cancer than ever before, the number of deaths per 100,000 people attributed to cancer has dropped 24 percent.
The number of smokers in Australia has also dropped, Zorbas said, but it remains the biggest cancer risk factor.
"In Australia, the proportion of adults who smoke daily has steadily decreased from 22 percent in 2001 to under 15 percent in 2014-15, which is lower than comparable countries such as Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom," Zorbas said in a statement on Friday.
"However, smoking still directly contributes to more than 13 percent of all cancers in Australia, including cervical, bowel, stomach, pancreas and lung cancers, and causes almost a quarter of all cancer deaths.
"While quitting smoking can be a challenge for people, it is vital in reducing cancer risk," she noted.
Alcohol consumption and Australia's obesity epidemic were identified as other major risk factors.
"Australians' overall alcohol consumption has fallen markedly since it peaked in the early 1970s, but it is still high when compared to other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. In 2013, alcohol contributed to almost 3,500 cancers in Australia, including breast, esophageal and liver cancers," Zorbas said.
"Around 1 in 20 cancers in Australia are associated with overweight or obesity, yet, critically, 28 percent of our adult population is classified as obese, which compares poorly with many other OECD nations."
