According to doctors, better screening and a decline in smoking levels in European countries is seeing fewer numbers of people dying from cancer. However, Scotland and Hungary are two countries with a rising number of lung cancer-related deaths in women, as seemingly more of their female population smoke.

The study published in the Annals of Oncology cancer journal reports, early diagnosis and better treatments have been successful in reducing deaths due to cervical and breast cancer, while declining smoking levels have contributed majorly to a large drop in lung and tobacco-related cancer deaths in men.

The study data collected from 1990-1994 and 2000-2004, shows overall European cancer death rates to have fallen by 9% in men and 8% in women in the second period compared to the first.

However, researchers pointed out the wide disparities in cancer-related death rates between various EU countries, with some of these countries seeing a rise in lung, mouth, pharynx and oesophagus cancer-related deaths, due to increasing levels of alcohol and tobacco consumption.

Cristina Bosetti, who is the head of Italy’s Mario Negri, Department of Epidemiology’s cancer unit, wrote in the study: ‘Further, reduction of tobacco smoking remains the key priority for cancer control in Europe.’ As well, she believes strong measures for reducing alcohol consumption, nutrition improvement, tackling obesity and increased screening, including early diagnosis and medical advances for treatable cancers will work towards greatly reducing the cancer burden of the European Union.

Between 2000 and 2004, researchers found an average of 168-deaths per 100,000 of the male population per year, down from 185.2 deaths per 100,000 between 1990 and 1994.

Whereas, the average death rate for women fell from 104.8 to 96.9 per 100,000 per year over the same period.

According to Bosetti, falls in lung and other tobacco-related cancer deaths amongst men, including persistently declining gastric cancer deaths and falling colorectal cancer deaths, are mainly responsible for the downward trends that have ‘continued over the most recent years’.

Cancer mortality rates as per the study were twice that of best performing European countries in the worst performing ones.

In 2000-2004 death rates for men were highest in Hungary (255.2-deaths per 100,000 of the population per year), the Czech Republic and Poland, while Sweden at 125.8-deaths per 100,000 people followed by Finland and Switzerland had the lowest.

Denmark at 141 per 100,000-people, including Hungary and Scotland had the highest death rates for women, with Spain at 78.9 per 100,000, Greece and Portugal having the lowest. The difference researchers say is the result of varying smoking patterns across Europe.