Unhealthy lifestyle responsible for 45,000 predicted cases of bowel cancer in next decade | Claire M Vajdic

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Sept. 25, 2018 (MedicalXpress) -- A large proportion of bowel cancers in Australia are preventable by adopting a healthy lifestyle -- particularly for men, a new study shows.

A study by researchers from the University of New South Wales' Centre for Big Data Research in Health found that current rates of smoking, overweight and obesity and excessive alcohol consumption could lead to 45,000 cases of bowel cancer over the next 10 years.

The results, published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum, have implications for public health education, promotion and policy.

In the study, the team pooled data from seven Australian cohort studies, encompassing nearly 370,000 Australians aged 18-100-plus.

"We carefully looked at factors causally associated with developing bowel cancer and their current distribution in the Australian population. We then explored what this means for the future bowel cancer burden in Australia, and where we should be targeting our health promotion efforts," says UNSW Associate Professor Claire Vajdic.

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