Mortality from ovarian cancer in the UK is predicted to fall significantly this year compared with 2017, according to an analysis published today.
Estimates, published in *Annals of Oncology* today, cover mortality from the top ten cancers in the EU and UK.
Professor Carlo La Vecchia of the University of Milan, Italy, and colleagues believe that cancer mortality will continue to fall in most European countries.
They state that there will be 1,269,200 deaths from cancer in the EU and 176,800 in the UK in 2022, a fall of 6% in men and 4% in women in the EU since 2017, and 7% for men and 6% for women in the UK.
For ovarian cancer specifically, the rate is predicted to fall by 17% in the UK and 7% in the EU.
Professor La Vecchia points to the protective effect of oral contraceptives, which can lower the risk by 40%.
He says: “The earlier and greater use of oral contraceptives in the UK than in most EU countries for generations of women born since the 1930s has a major role in these trends.
“In Italy, Spain, Poland etc, oral contraceptives were made available considerably later, and hence the favourable trends in these countries started later and are smaller.”
He adds: “Other factors may also be partially responsible, such as a reduced use of hormone replacement therapy. Improvements in diagnosis, surgery and the use of better treatments may all contribute to improved survival.
"However, these factors are minor compared to the long-term protective effect of oral contraceptives. We expect these favourable trends in ovarian cancer deaths to continue.”
Dalmartello, M. et al. European cancer mortality predictions for the year 2022 with focus on ovarian cancer. *Annals of Oncology* 26 January 2022; doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2021.12.007
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