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Modern living to blame for cancer epidemic
Last updated at 10:07am on 09.08.07
The research suggests half of all cancers could be prevented by lifestyle changes
Now different types of cancer have soared
Binge drinking, reckless sunbathing and overeating are fuelling a massive rise in cancer, experts warn.
In a shocking report, they have laid bare the deadly consequences of increasingly hedonistic modern lifestyles.
Cases of mouth cancer, which is associated with smoking and drinking, have increased by almost a quarter.
Malignant melanoma - the most dangerous form of skin cancer - is up by 43 per cent in ten years as warnings to stay out of the sun are ignored.
Kidney cancer, which is much more common in smokers and the overweight, is also on the rise, the report shows.
Rates of another disease linked to obesity, womb cancer, went up by a fifth.
Cancer Research UK, which compiled the figures, said up to half of all deaths from the disease could be avoided by the use of common sense.
Lucy Morrish, of the charity, said: "While incidence rates for some cancers have fallen over the past decade, others are rising and many of these cases could be prevented if people avoided excessive sun exposure, smoking and obesity and limited their alcohol intake."
Malignant melanoma is now the seventh most common cancer and the fastest growing form of the disease.
In 2004, 8,939 Britons developed the condition, compared with 5,783 in 1995.
Although more common among women, the skin disease is now affecting large numbers of both sexes.
Since the mid-1980s, rates among men have tripled while they have doubled among women.
Sara Hiom, also of Cancer Research UK, said: "We're very concerned that cases of malignant melanoma are spiralling.
"Exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight is the main cause of skin cancer.
"Most cases of this disease could be prevented if people protected themselves in the sun and took care not to burn."
Middle-class women are 2.5 times more likely to get malignant melanoma than their working-class counterparts.
For mouth cancer, most cases occur in those who smoke or chew tobacco and regularly drink alcohol.
And, although the number of smokers is falling, binge drinking is on the rise.
Mouth cancer rates have increased by 23 per cent in the past decade, up from 3,696 in 1995 to 4,769 in 2004.
The charity highlighted as especially worrying the 21 per cent rise in womb cancer from 5,018 cases ten years ago to 6,438 today.
Obese and overweight women are twice as likely to develop the disease as those of healthy weight.
This is blamed on higher than normal levels of the female hormone oestrogen in the bodies of postmenopausal women who are overweight.
Obesity and smoking also increase the risk of kidney cancer, which was found to be up 14 per cent.
Colin Waine, of the National Obesity Forum, said: "These figures just go to show the wide-reaching ramifications of obesity, which go way beyond diabetes, heart disease and stroke to several sitespecific cancers.
"As well as womb cancer, obesity has been linked to postmenopausal breast cancer, colonic cancer, bile duct cancer and pancreatic cancer.
"These figures can only get worse if we fail to halt the obesity epidemic."
Frank Soodeed, of Alcohol Concern, said: "The Government estimates that 5,000 people a year die from cancers attributable to alcohol.
"It's another reminder to stay within safe drinking limits if at all possible to minimise health risks."
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said the report was a call to action.
"This is further evidence that a failure to deal with pressing public health issues now can have serious consequences later on," he added.
"This must be a priority in the NHS of the 21st century.
"We are seeing a whole generation of young people grow up with weight and alcohol problems.
"The Government must act now to tackle the enormous human and financial cost that this will bring."
Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley said: "Labour have raided public health budgets and Government efforts are disjointed.
"It is a false economy to fail on public health when we know that being healthy is the best way to curb disease."
Overall, the number developing all forms of cancer rose slightly, up 2.1 per cent to 284,560 in 2004.
However, mortality rates are declining and the proportion of cancer patients living for more than five years after diagnosis rose from 40 to 50 per cent. The top four types of cancer - breast, lung, bowel and prostate - account for more than half of all cases of the disease.
Prostate cancer saw the second biggest rise in cases after malignant melanoma.
But the 39 per cent increase over a decade is not thought to be caused by preventable risk factors and is blamed instead on better detection through prostate specific antigen testing.
The third biggest rise - of 33.5 per cent - was in mesothelioma cases. This cancer of the tissue lining is linked to industrial exposure to asbestos, the use of which is now banned in the UK.
Experts predict the mesothelioma epidemic will peak between 2010 and 2015 before declining rapidly.
There was a similar rise - of 33.4 per cent - in liver cancer. This is partially linked to alcohol intake and also to the hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses.
Breast cancer rates went up by 11 per cent with obesity raising the risk of the disease in post-menopausal women by 40 per cent.
The figures did, however, contain some good news. Rates of cervical cancer fell by 24 per cent thanks to a national screening programme.
And lung cancer rates are continuing to decrease, especially in men, as more and more smokers kick the habit.
Reader views (7)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
People have been warned about the dangers of sunbathing, smoking, and binge drinking for decades. Yet the foolish behavior continues. As long as it's seen as "cool" to smoke, get drunk, and have that "healthy golden tan", then people will continue to pursue these activities no matter what the medical experts advise. Perhaps, cinema and TV needs to lead the way by portraying action heroes who don't smoke or drink and are fair skinned.
- Bob, Monroe, CT USA
This study is flawed. It doesn't take in to account important factors such as population growth and cancer rate ratios per person.
- Jason, Chandler, AZ, USA
We have known for years that nutrition and lifestyle are primary factors leading to the incidence of cancer. Eat well 90% of the time and eat as you wish, within reason, the other 10%. Add an exercise program, confine alcohol consumption and sleep well to be healthy.
- Gordon, Playa del Rey, California, USA
Since when does alcohol cause cancer? Where's the study showing that?
- Tyler Kent, London, England
If they're going to moralistically invoke "hedonism" you'd think they'd show you where they controlled for the simple effect of an aging population. Of course rates are going up. But are they going up more than you'd expect under those circumstances?
- Gerard, Washington, MI, US
This isn't the half of it, theres new research that being born, eventually leads to death...now thats scary
- Daveb, london
Is this surprising? I think not. The risk taking attitude is widespread, and smoking is still endemic.
- Philip, London, England
