Cancer mortality expected to fall in Europe

Swiss and Italian researchers say the overall number of deaths from cancer is falling in the 27 countries of the European Union.

An estimated 717,400 men and 565,700 women will die of cancer in those countries in 2012, according to a study published in the Annals of Oncology. That’s a ten and seven per cent drop respectively when compared with World Health Organization figures for 2007.

The researchers from Vaud University Hospital and the Mario Negri Institute in Milan also expect a nine per cent fall in the breast cancer mortality rate, and a higher 13 per cent drop among women aged 20-49.

The teams said breast cancer mortality was falling because of progress made in treatment therapies and not necessarily due to early mammography screening.

However lung cancer was growing in women, although it had fallen in men by ten per cent since 2007. Pancreatic cancer was slightly up in both men and women, which the researchers said was probably due to higher numbers of overweight people.