Website of the Department of Health

Preventing cancer

There are many causes of cancer and the origins of the disease in each person may differ. Genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors interact in many cases. Poverty, unemployment and other broader causes of ill health are linked to cancer too, and action across government to tackle health inequalities will in time have an impact on cancer. But for many of the common forms of cancer, smoking and poor diet are by far the most important factors which we can do something about.