Alcohol threat to cancer battle success
Monday November 30th, 2009
Growing rates of alcohol drinking are putting at risk successes in the battle against cancer, according to a new European study.
Researchers said the European Union has seen significant drops in death rates from cancer - of more than eight per cent between 1990 and 2004.
But countries where alcohol and tobacco use is increasing, especially among women, are seeing increasing deaths from related cancers.
The report, published today by the Annals of Oncology, show high rates of cancer of the gullet - the oesophagus - in England, Wales and Scotland.
And Scotland has the third highest death rate for all cancers for women - ranked only below Denmark and Hungary. At more than 123 deaths per 100,000 women, the death rate is 50 per cent greater than Spain, Greece and Portugal.
The analysis involved some 27 countries that were members of the European Union during the period.
And as the research showed increasing death rates from skin cancer in Europe, British campaigners called for fresh restrictions on the use of sun-beds.
Dr Cristina Bosetti, of the Mario Negri Department of Epidemiology, University of Milan, Italy, said: "The key message of our paper is that the favourable trends in cancer mortality in Europe have continued over the most recent years. This is due mainly to the falls in lung and other tobacco-related cancers in men, the persistent decline in gastric cancer, but also appreciable falls in colorectal cancer.
"Screening and early diagnosis have contributed to the decline in cervical and breast cancer, although the fall in breast cancer mortality is mainly due to improved treatment. Therapeutic advancements have also played a role in the reduced mortality from testicular cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma and leukaemias, although the declines have been delayed and are smaller in eastern Europe."
* In Britain Cancer Research UK today steps up pressure on the government to ban young people under the age of 18 from using sun-beds. A ban comes into force in Scotland today.
Sarah Woolnough, of Cancer Research UK, said: "Not only are sun-beds now classified in the highest risk category for cancer, alongside tobacco, but there's also strong scientific evidence to show the damage they cause to the skin - both increasing skin cancer risk and ageing the skin.
"Using sun-beds has no general health benefits. In fact the intensity of UV rays in some sun-beds can be more than 10 times stronger than the mid-day sun."
* A second European study published today shows an "enormous" increase in the use of implantable devices for heart failure - with Britain lagging behind the rest of Europe.
Since 2004, the number of operations has nearly doubled in 15 western European countries, according to an analysis in the European Journal of Heart Failure.
Germany has the highest rate of implants, nearly four times Britain's rate, researchers found. In Germany some 264 procedures are carried out for every million people - while in Britain it is just 74. Only Spain and Portugal carried out fewer operations than Britain.
Researcher Professor Dirk van Veldhuisen, from the University of Groningen, Holland, said: "It is difficult to speculate why we see such a low rate of use in countries like Spain or UK. However, while some studies have found an added benefit from device therapy in heart failure, others have not - and we still have no clear cost-benefit analysis of their more widespread use.
"Certainly, implantable devices are expensive, and, if we follow the guidelines, the cost implications will be substantial."
Cancer mortality in Europe, 2000-2004, and an overview of trends since 1975. Annals of Oncology. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdp530
Van Veldhuisen DJ, Maass AH, Priori SG, et al. Implementation of device therapy (cardiac resynchronization therapy and implantable cardioverter defibrillator) for patients with heart failure in Europe: changes from 2004 to 2008. Eur J Heart Fail 2009; doi:10.1093/eurjhf/hfp149.
Tags: Cancer | Dermatology | Drug and Alcohol Abuse | Europe | Heart Health | UK News
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