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Breast cancer cases in Britain increase

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Cancer cases in Britain have increased in the past 5 years, with breast cancer the fastest rising, but deaths from the disease are falling, according to new research.

Between 1994 and 1999, new diagnoses of breast cancer surged by 15% when 40,900 new cases were reported.

However deaths from breast cancer during the same period fell by 9% due to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

“The increase in the number of people being diagnosed with cancer is mainly a result of our ageing population. More people are living to an age when they develop the disease,” said Professor David Forman, chairman of the UK Association of Cancer Registries, which compiled the figures.

In 1999, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 268,000 reported cases of cancer, which is 5,000 more than the previous year and 12,000 above the 1994 figure.

Colon cancer cases also rose by 7%, to 35,600 cases, from 5 years earlier.

Although more men are diagnosed with colon cancer than are women, prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in men in the UK.


Professor Robert Souhami, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said that despite the increasing incidence of the disease, the chances of surviving cancer are better than ever before.

“What these figures highlight above all else is the importance of prevention,” Professor Souhami said. “Our risk of cancer goes up as we get older, so as the population ages the disease is likely to become more common. But over half of cancers are potentially preventable, especially if people do not smoke and also eat healthily,” he added.

(Source: ASCO)


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Dates

Posted On: 23 December, 2002
Modified On: 3 December, 2013

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