Cancer rates rising SIX TIMES faster in women than men – and obesity, smoking and booze are to blame
POOR lifestyles are to blame for cancer cases rising six times faster in women than in men, experts warn.
Obesity, smoking and boozing is blamed for women experiencing a much sharper rise in rates over the next two decades.
Cancer Research UK projects numbers will increase by around half a per cent for men and three per cent for women.
The UK is getting fatter, with more than one in four adults now obese – compared to just one in 35 in the 70s.
But it is having a much greater impact on female cancer rates.
Several obesity-related cancers only affect women, such as breast, ovarian and womb.
Fat cells produce hormones that are known to fuel tumours - and being tubby is linked to 13 cancers.
Smoking is also having a greater impact on women, despite falling national rates.
That is because numbers smoking peaked in the 70s, compared to the 40s in men.
Being overweight is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking, and has been linked to 13 different types of cancer
Rachel Orritt
Drinking alcohol is also having an effect on women’s cancer rates, but not to the same degree as tobacco and flab, researchers said.
Cancer Research UK says an estimated 4.5 million women and 4.8 million men will be diagnosed with cancer over the next two decades.
Rachel Orritt, CRUKs health information officer, said: “Being overweight is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking, and has been linked to 13 different types of cancer.
“Carrying excess fat changes the levels of sex hormones, such as oestrogen and testosterone, which can increase the risk of some types of cancer.
“Having excess fat can also cause levels of insulin to rise, which might tell cells to divide more rapidly.
“And being overweight or obese can lead to inflammation, which can also increase the risk of cancer.”
More than 330,000 Brits are diagnosed with the cancer each year, with around 160,000 dying.
Breast, prostate, lung and bowel tumours are four most common cancers, accounting for more than half of new cases each year.
Figures show that cases of breast cancer are expected to rise from 54,833 in 2014 to 71,022 in 2035.
Ovarian cancer cases will jump from 7,367 to 10,500, while lung cancer cases will go up from 21,633 to 29,957.
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Sarah Toule, head of health information at World Cancer Research Fund, said: “Cancer is a devastating disease and it is concerning that rates are predicted to rise so sharply in women, especially as so many cancer cases could be prevented.
“In fact, our evidence shows that around a third of the most common cancer cases could be prevented if people were a healthy weight, had a healthier diet and were more active.
“For breast cancer, this would mean preventing around two in five cases.”
For men, cancer rates are projected to rise by 0.54 per cent between 2014 and 2035, from 808 cases per 100,000 to 813.
For females, rates are projected to rise by 3.16 per cent between 2014 and 2035, from 664 cases per 100,000 to 685.