The most common cancers are breast, lung, colon and rectum and prostate cancers. Around one-third of deaths from cancer are due to tobacco use, high body mass index, alcohol consumption, low fruit and vegetable intake, and lack of physical activity. In addition, air pollution is an important risk factor for lung cancer.
Most cancers caused by alcohol in 2020 were of the colorectum (60 200 cases), female breast (39 200 cases) and oral cavity (22 600 cases). Across the WHO European Region, there is wide variation in the proportion of cancer cases attributable to alcohol.