Low lung cancer incidence among Maltese women

Maltese women are among the least likely in Europe to develop lung cancer but the incidence among men is much higher, according to a report published yesterday.

Figures show that 0.7 per cent of Maltese women and 5.3 per cent of men are likely to suffer from lung cancer in the course of their lifetime.

The report, drawn up by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organisation, shows that Danish women run the highest risk of lung cancer. Four per cent of its female population are likely to develop the disease. Iceland follows with 3.8 per cent and the UK comes third. The incidence of lung cancer is lowest among Spanish, Portuguese, Cypriot and Maltese women.

There were nearly 2.9 million new cases of cancer and more than 1.7 million cancer deaths in Europe last year. The report warns that the aging European population means that these figures will continue to rise, even if incidence and mortality rates for specific age groups remain constant.

According to the IARC, the four biggest cancer killers - lung, colorectal, breast and stomach cancer - need to be tackled immediately if there is to be significant progress in the fight against the disease.

Lung cancer is now the biggest killer among cancers and public health measures are needed to curb its incidence, the report warns.

Among women, breast cancer is by far the most common, representing 27.4 per cent of all female cases.

The report, reproduced in the Annals of Oncology, was compiled among 40 European countries by Peter Boyle, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer from Lyon, France, and Jacques Ferlay, from the Descriptive Epidemiology Group.

Contacted by The Times yesterday, Prof. Boyle said that an estimated 95 per cent of all lung cancer cases are caused by smoking and this was why encouraging smokers to kick the habit was vital.

He heaped praise on countries like Ireland, Scotland and Malta which had banned smoking in public places and were the ones that were trying the most to stop the "epidemic".

"Tobacco can kill you in 24 different ways, it's as simple as that. People should realise that the moment they quit smoking they start winning back their life expectancy," Prof. Boyle said.

Prof. Boyle, who wrote the EU's last tobacco directive, said he expected lung cancer statistics in the countries which enforce smoking bans to start going down in about 10 years.

He admitted though that the harmonisation of an EU-wide ban on smoking in public was an uphill struggle.

"What we can only hope for is that more European governments have the courage to take the cue from Ireland, Italy and Malta and forge ahead with banning smoking from public places. If that were to happen, then I'm sure, the EU would follow suit."