Bologna, 6 March 2023 – A message of hope arrives on the front of the tumors: the rates of mortalitybetween 2018 and 2023, are decreasing of the 6.5% in men and 3.7% in women, in the European Union and in the United Kingdom. Keep mercilessly hitting the lung cancer in women over 65 years old and that of the pancreas, while mortality rates for colorectal and stomach cancers. The results of the study, coordinated by the University of Milan together with the University of Bologna, and supported by the Airc Foundation, have been published in the journal Annals of Oncology
According to research, in 2023, in the European Union an estimated 1,262,000 people are expected to die, 172,300 in the UK. Compared to the peak of cancer mortality in 1988, the researchers estimate that, thanks to the observed and projected favorable trends between 1989 and 2023, around 5.9 million deaths will be avoided in the EU and 1.24 in the UK.
Ovarian cancer, 3,500 women in therapy in Emilia Romagna
35% reduction in cancers by 2035
The international group of researchers, author of the study, is led by Carlo La Vecchia, professor of epidemiology at the State University of Milan. “If the current favorable trend in cancer mortality rates were to continue – comments La Vecchia -, a further 35% reduction by 2035 it would be possible. There cessation of tobacco use contributed to these trends. To maintain them over time, further efforts are needed to control the epidemic overweight, obesity and diabeteslimit the alcohol consumptionl, improve the use of screening for early diagnosis and therapies, and check the viral infections for which there are vaccines and therapies”.
Covid: in the pandemic + 8.6% of serious colorectal cancers
Smoking blocks reduction of lung and pancreatic cancer in women
“Tobacco control – he comments Eva Negri, teacher of Occupational Medicine at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences at the University of Bologna – is reflected in the decrease in mortality from lung cancer. There is still plenty of room for improvement, particularly between women, for whom lung cancer mortality rates continue to rise“. “Another neoplasm that does not show improvements among men and increases in women – she explains – is the pancreatic cancer. Between a quarter and a third of these deaths can be attributed to smoking.”
For this reason, however, it is envisaged in EU women, an increase of 3.4% for pancreatic cancer and 1% for lung cancer. Furthermore, despite the projected drop of 13.8%, UK women will continue to have a higher lung cancer death rate than in the EU, due to a increased prevalence of smoking in older women. In the five EU countries considered, increases in mortality from lung cancer in women are expected of 14% in France, 5.6% in Italy and 5% in Spain. Examining the age ranges of women in detail, one is expected decrease in the rate between 25 and 64 years, while there is an increase in the over-65s.
Il colorectal cancer it will be the third leading cause of cancer mortality for women in both the EU and the UK, with mortality rates of 8 and 10 per 100,000 women respectively. In men, the prostate cancer it will be the third cause, with predicted rates of 9.5 and 11.2 per 100,000 men in the EU and UK.