Cancer rates increase: are higher rates of detection or a change in lifestyle the cause
July 20, 2011
Posted by:Suzanne Trask
Several newspapers have this week reported that cancer rates have risen over the past two decades. Newspapers have reported a rise in cancers based on new figures compiled by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), which compares the rates of cancer in Great Britain in 1979 and 2008. This is part of a new national campaign being launched today by CRUK, aimed at highlighting the importance of publicly funded research.
The rates of new cancer diagnoses were reported to have increased by 16% in men and 34% in women in Great Britain between the 1977-1979 and 2006-2008 reporting periods.
This rise was reported to have occurred almost entirely before the late 1990s - the rates are reported to have stayed relatively stable over the past decade in Great Britain, at around 355 cases per 100,000 women and 415 cases per 100,000 men.
The increases seen between 1979 and 2008 varied across age groups:
• The highest rate of new diagnoses is among people aged 75 and over. The rate of new diagnoses in over-75s increased by 28%.
• In people aged 60 to 74, new diagnoses rose by 27%.
• In people aged 40 to 59, new diagnoses rose by 18%.
• The lowest rate of new diagnoses is among people aged 0 to 39. The rate in this age group has increased by 40%.
However, CRUK say that the number of people surviving cancer has doubled since the 1970s. There were 215.2 deaths from cancer per 100,000 people in Great Britain in 1979, which fell to 175.4 deaths from cancer per 100,000 people in 2008.
Whether the reason for the increase in cancer rates is better detection or because of lifestyle factors, I am unfortunately acting for an increasing number of clients and their families where there has been a delay in diagnosing cancer, often with devastating consequences.