Cancer mortality and prevention in the European Union

In the European Union (EU), approximately one in four people dies from cancer (27% of men and 21% of women) and one in three contracts the disease. In recent years, however, trends in cancer mortality appear to have changed, at least in some European countries. Standardized mortality rates among men have declined since the late 1980s or early 1990s. Among women, a continuous decrease in mortality has been observed over some decades. Nevertheless, due to population increase in the EU and the ageing population, the increase in the absolute numbers of new cancer cases continues. Lifestyle plays a crucial role in the aetiology of cancer and, because it is at least a principally modifiable determinant, we can assume that cancer could be avoided to a considerable extent via primary prevention.