Cancer death rates are predicted to drop by 17% (16.8) in the UK by 2030, according to Cancer Research UK’s new report.
This new research coincides with a study from February of this year, which revealed that in 2012, the rates of deaths from cancer (per 100,000 people, by age) have decreased.
2010 saw 157,275 cancer deaths in the UK alone – 170 in every 100,000 people died from cancer. However, experts believe that by 2030, this number will drop from 170 to 142. According to the report, this is partly because there are now better rates of survival, due to earlier diagnosis and treatment improvements.
The authors note that there has been a decrease in cancers related to smoking, which in turn, has resulted in less deaths.
The recent statistics have surfaced just in time for Stand Up To Cancer, a collaborative effort between Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK, to air their live 2012 event on October 19th.
According to their mission statement, “Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a groundbreaking initiative created to accelerate innovative cancer research that will get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now.
SU2C is bringing together the best and the brightest researchers and encouraging collaboration instead of competition among the entire cancer community. By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C creates awareness and builds broad public support for this effort.”
By 2030, researchers say that deaths from ovarian cancer will have dropped around 42% – from 9.1 deaths for every 100,000 to 5.3.
Breast cancer deaths will fall by 28% and bowel cancer by 23%, while prostate cancer deaths will see a reduction of 16%.
The report notes that although deaths from many types of cancers are expected to decrease, some cancers may actually increase the rates of deaths by 2030. Oral cancer death rates are expected to jump 22%, from 2.9 deaths of every 100,000 people to 3.5. By 2030, liver cancer death rates will rise from 4.2 to 5.9 deaths per 100,000 patients – an increase of 39%.
Professor Peter Sasieni, Cancer Research UK epidemiologist from Queen Mary University in London, commented:
”Our latest estimations show that for many cancers, adjusting for age, death rates are set to fall dramatically in the coming decades. And what’s really encouraging is that the biggest cancer killers – lung, breast, bowel, and prostate – are part of this falling trend.
Because old age is the biggest risk factor for cancer and more people are living longer, they have a greater chance of developing and, unfortunately dying from the disease. But, overall, the proportion – or rate – of those who die from cancer is falling.”
“These new figures are encouraging and highlight the huge progress we’re making. Research across many areas is having real impact. But we know there’s still so much more to do if we are able to reach a day when no one dies prematurely from cancer. We continue to rely on the public’s generosity to drive progress. This helps us turn discoveries made in our science labs into new treatments and to carry out clinical trials to find the best ways to treat patients,” said Dr Harpal Kuman, chief executive of Cancer Research UK.
He concluded:
“There are more exciting opportunities now to make a step-change than at any other time in history and we must grasp these. But to do so will require more investment and that’s why we’re asking people to help us through Stand Up To Cancer. It’s about working together to improve the odds of surviving cancer. We want to bring forward the day when no one loses their life prematurely to this devastating disease.”
Written by Christine Kearney