Dr Adam Barsouk, oncology fellow at Johns Hopkins University and author of Outsmarting Cancer: Risk Reduction and the Power of Prevention, joins Catriona Williams to discuss why half of all cancer diagnoses could be prevented and why modern medicine has focused on treatment rather than prevention.

Key takeaways:

1. Obesity is the second leading cause of cancer globally after smoking, contributing to nearly every cancer type through chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction

2. Cancer rates in adults under 50 have more than doubled in the last 30 years, driven by obesity, ultra-processed foods, microplastics, and environmental exposures

3. The HPV vaccine can prevent 98-99% of cancers caused by human papillomavirus, including cervical, anal, and head and neck cancers, yet vaccine hesitancy limits its impact

4. Lung and liver cancers receive less research funding due to stigma, even though many lung cancer patients are non-smokers and addiction is a medical disease, not a lifestyle choice

5. Only 5% of healthcare expenditure goes to prevention despite evidence that prevention could eliminate half of all cancer cases, largely because there is no short-term financial incentive for industry or policymakers

Dr Adam Barsouk is an oncology fellow and researcher at Johns Hopkins University and has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications on cancer epidemiology and treatment.

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