The World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Cancer 2026 highlights tobacco control as one of the few areas of measurable progress in global cancer prevention, while warning that incomplete implementation of proven policies continues to sustain tobacco use and the future cancer burden.

According to the report, implementation of tobacco control measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has contributed to a 27% reduction in global tobacco use prevalence since 2010. However, WHO says many countries have yet to fully implement the organization’s MPOWER package of tobacco control measures, limiting further reductions in smoking rates.

The report notes that 155 countries now have at least one MPOWER best-practice measure in place, compared with 44 countries in 2007. Despite this progress, WHO identifies incomplete policy implementation as a key reason tobacco use remains a significant contributor to preventable cancers.

WHO reiterates that tobacco prevention remains a central component of cancer control, estimating that nearly 40% of new cancer cases are preventable through evidence-based interventions addressing known risk factors, including tobacco use.

The report also argues that implementation, rather than policy adoption, has become the main challenge. While many governments have introduced national cancer control plans and tobacco control policies, WHO says too many remain underfunded or only partially implemented.

Beyond tobacco, the report warns that commercial determinants of health—including product design, packaging, marketing, research funding and lobbying by commercial actors—can undermine cancer prevention efforts and create barriers to effective public health policies.

Looking ahead, WHO calls for stronger integration of tobacco control within national cancer strategies and universal health coverage, alongside broader investments in prevention, early detection and health system capacity. The organization identifies strengthening implementation of evidence-based prevention measures as one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce the projected global rise in cancer cases, which are expected to reach 35 million new diagnoses annually by 2050.