A new research has revealed that cancer death rates across European Union (EU) are declining more rapidly in men than in women. However, the death rates pertaining to women suffering from pancreatic and lung cancer patient will not go for a downfall anytime soon.
The research was led by Carlo La Vecchia a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Milan, Italy along with some other researchers from Italy, Switzerland and the U.S.
The researchers came up with a prediction that in 2017, cancer death rates in men will drop down by over 8 percent; while in women it would decline by 4 percent, suggesting that the pace of decline is slower for women as compared to men.
However, researchers stated that different trends are to be expected in case of lung and other tobacco-related cancers.
Statistics Supporting Study
The study suggests that across the EU, around 132 men out of every 100,000 will die from cancer in 2017. This number has seen a fall of about 8.2 percent as compared to the figures of 2012. The total number of cancer patients predicted to die in 2017 is about 761,900 men and 611,600 women.
The amplitude and brutality of the disease is clearly reflected by the numbers, indicating that about 1.3 million deaths will occur in Europe due to cancer. The researchers are also expecting around 275,700 deaths due to lung cancer equivalent to 20 percent of death from all cancers.
"One striking finding is that death rates from lung cancer are higher in women between the ages of 25 and 44 than in men," said lead researcher La Vecchia.
Prevention Rate Responsible For Bringing Down Death Rate
The study analyzed death rates due to cancer from 28 member states of the EU. The experts estimated that more than 4 million cancer deaths have been avoided since 1988 and it was made possible only with the improvement in prevention, treatment and detection of cancer in patients.
Cause Of Pancreatic Cancer
The research suggests that tobacco is the major risk factor in the case of pancreatic cancer. The harmful substance contributes to around 15 percent to 20 percent of pancreatic cancers. However, tobacco is not the standalone factor for pancreatic cancer as there are some other causative reasons as well.
Professor La Vecchia's reports indicate that the cases of obesity and diabetes are quite predominant in northern Europe and could have possibly aggravated cases of pancreatic cancer in the patients. The national government, along with policy makers, needs to put in more efforts to tackle the problem immediately.
The study has been published in cancer journal Annals of Oncology.
Photo: Jan Michael Dimayuga | Flickr
