Cancer Deaths Related to Smoking on the Decline in Europe

According to researchers, the number of cancer deaths among Europeans has decreased by 8% since the beginning of the decade. This is attributed largely to the fact that smoking rates have drastically decreased.

This drop in deaths applies to all of Europe, with those who are middle-aged seeing the greatest drop. Deaths from lung and other cancers related to smoking saw the greatest drop, researchers said.

Cancer deaths were at their highest in 1988 in the European Union and there has been a steady decrease since that time. Carlo La Vecchia, head of epidemiology at Mario Negri Institute and associate professor at the University of Milan in Italy led the research team. For every 100,000 men, there were 168 deaths, and 96.9 deaths per 100,000 women. Between 2000 and 2004, this was a drop from 185.2 per 100,000 for men and 104.8 per 100,000 for women.

Cristina Bosetti, head of cancer epidemiology at the Mario Negri Department of Epidemiology said, "The favorable trends in cancer mortality in Europe have continued over the most recent years. This is due mainly to the falls in lung and other tobacco-related cancers in men, the persistent decline in gastric cancer, but also appreciable falls in colorectal cancer."

Though new smoking laws may be tough on smokers, it seems there is some positive side to these changes of events…

[Via: Bloomberg]

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