112 For many people, advice on reducing cancer risk can feel distant, generic, or hard to apply to daily life. Yet prevention remains the most effective way to reduce cancer deaths worldwide, particularly when guidance reflects how people actually live, work, and access healthcare. New research outlines how cancer prevention advice can be transformed from broad global messages into practical, region specific guidance that better reflects local risks, cultures, and health systems. The work describes a structured approach designed to help governments and the public make clearer decisions about cancer prevention, based on the strongest available evidence and real-world conditions. The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer. Cancer remains a leading cause of death globally, with millions of new cases diagnosed each year. While smoking, alcohol use, obesity, infections, and environmental exposures are well established cancer risk factors, awareness and prevention efforts vary widely between regions. Lower income communities are often less informed about certain risks and face greater barriers to prevention, which contributes to persistent health inequalities. The new framework aims to close this gap by creating Regional Codes Against Cancer. These are sets of prevention recommendations tailored to specific parts of the world, rather than one size fits all advice. The approach builds on the long running European Code Against Cancer, which has been used for decades to guide public health messaging across the EU. Under the framework, scientific evidence is reviewed using a strict and transparent process. Only risk factors and interventions supported by strong evidence are included. Researchers also assess whether recommendations are realistic, affordable, culturally acceptable, and easy for the public to understand. This ensures that advice is not only scientifically sound, but also usable in everyday life. A key feature of the framework is its dual focus on individuals and policymakers. Alongside guidance for the public, each recommendation is paired with advice for governments on policies that can support healthier environments. These may include tobacco control measures, food regulation, air quality standards, or access to cancer screening. The goal is to recognise that personal choices are shaped by wider social and commercial conditions. The framework has already been used to develop cancer prevention codes for Europe and for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Latin American code includes recommendations that reflect regional priorities, such as reducing indoor air pollution and addressing infection related cancers. Work is also under way to explore future codes for Asia, the Gulf region, and parts of Africa. Researchers involved in the work stress that clear communication is essential. Prevention messages are tested with members of the public to ensure they are understandable and persuasive without being alarmist. Translations are carefully managed to avoid changing the meaning of recommendations across different languages and cultures. While the approach is ambitious, challenges remain. Developing and updating regional guidance requires sustained funding, coordination, and political commitment. There is also a need for ongoing evaluation to measure whether these codes lead to real changes in behaviour, policy, and cancer outcomes over time. Despite these hurdles, the framework offers a practical way to turn decades of cancer research into advice that people and governments can act on. By grounding prevention in local realities, it aims to reduce cancer risk more equitably and effectively across the world.