Researchers warn that cancers are strongly linked to lifestyle choices, such as smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity
The number of people diagnosed with liver cancer
has risen sharply. An Office for National Statistics study shows the
incidence of liver cancer in England increased by 70% for males and 60%
for females between 2003 and 2012.
It is now the 18th most common
cancer in England, the ONS said. The number of women diagnosed with the
disease rose from 889 in 2003 to 1,418 in 2012, while the number of men
went up from 1,440 to 2,449 in the same period.
"Since 2003, there
have been large increases in the number of registrations of liver,
oral, uterine and kidney cancers, and malignant melanoma of the skin,"
the study authors wrote. "These cancers are strongly linked to lifestyle
choices, such as smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity."
The NHS
says that while the exact cause of liver cancer is not known, it is
thought to be related to damage to the liver, such as cirrhosis, which
can be caused by excessive drinking, obesity or hepatitis B or C
infections.
The ONS study also found that malignant melanoma, the
most dangerous type of skin cancer, has increased by 78% among men and
48% among women between 2003 and 2012.
It is now the fifth most common cancer in England.
Cancer
Research UK said 2,000 people die from malignant melanoma each year.
While better detection methods have contributed to the rise in the
number of cases diagnosed, the charity has previously blamed the problem
on a "dramatic explosion" of package holidays and a boom in sunbed use.
The
ONS figures also show that in 2012 the three most common cancers among
men were prostate, lung and colorectal cancers. Meanwhile, the three
most common cancers of women were breast, lung and colorectal cancer.
Matt
Wickenden, Cancer Research UK's manager of statistics, said: "More than
one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and
these figures reflect the huge number of lives affected.
"We know
that more than four in 10 cancers can be prevented through changes to
our lifestyle, and smoking causes nearly a fifth of all cancers. So it's
vital to reduce smoking rates and so we're urging the government to
introduce plain, standardised tobacco packaging without delay to stop
the next generation taking up the deadly habit that kills half of all
long-term users.
"The good news is that survival has doubled in
the last 40 years and half of all cancer patients will now survive the
disease for at least 10 years."
The British Lung Foundation also reiterated its calls for the introduction of plain, standardised cigarette packs.
Ciaran
Devane, chief executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "Shockingly,
the most common form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, has shot up by
78% among men and 48% among women in the last 10 years. This makes it
now the fifth most common cancer in England.
"The increase in the
number of people getting this potentially-fatal disease should be a
wake-up call to the government that cancer has not been 'fixed' in this
country. We have some of the poorest survival rates for cancer in Europe
and Macmillan is calling on all the political parties to prioritise
cancer ahead of the next general election."
Story Source
http://www.theguardian.com
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