Lung Cancer Deaths Declining In Men But Not Women In European Countries

Researchers have found that death among men from lung cancer is now falling in most EU countries, however they are still rising among women.

Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the world. Researchers this week have reported that lung cancer deaths among men are now falling in most EU countries, including all new member states from central and eastern Europe, but they are still rising among women.

Tobacco related diseases cause 650,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the EU countries. The research team calculated lung cancer deaths in the 15 original EU member states and new members from central and eastern Europe. The figures provide a useful yardstick to measure a population’s exposure to smoking, especially among 35-54 year olds.

Although among men the figures of death from lung cancer are falling the mortality from lung cancer in women is still rising in most EU countries, except for countries like United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark. The greatest increases were in France, Spain, and Hungary. Rates for women in Hungary exceeded those for women in all other member states (mirroring those for Hungarian men) and also exceed the rates for men in more than half the states in the EU.

The authors of the study suggest that product modification may have contributed to the declining prevalence in young men. In Poland, for example, tar yields fell by more than half between 1984 and 1999, and other changes to cigarettes have been made.

Medindia Editors Note: It is not unusual to see more women smoking then men in bars and discos in Europe. Smoking among nurses also is vary high in Europe.

Click here to view full paper:
http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/july/ppr189.pdf Click here to view full commentary:
http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/july/ppr191.pdf BMJ Volume 331, pp 189-91

Medindia further Information on Lung Cancer

General Info about Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lung. Majority of people who get lung cancer have been cigarette smokers, but not all people who smoke get lung cancer. And, some people who have never smoked get lung cancer. Normal lung tissue is made up of cells that are programmed by nature to create lungs of a certain shape and function.

Sometimes the instructions to a cell go haywire and that cell and its offspring reproduce wildly, without regard for the shape and function of a lung. That wild reproduction can form tumors that clog up the lung and make it stop functioning as it should. Because of the large size of the lungs, cancer may grow for many years, undetected, without causing suspicion. Lung cancer can spread outside the lungs without causing any symptoms. Adding to the confusion, the most common symptom of lung cancer, a persistent cough, can often be mistaken for a cold or bronchitis.

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