Lung cancer rates rising among women
As new figures show that rates of lung cancer are rising among British women, Cancer Research UK calls for a crackdown on tobacco advertising.
The most recent figures show that incidence of the disease have reached 39.3 for every 100,000 women in the UK, compared with a rate of 22.2 per 100,000 in 1975.
Over 80 per cent of lung cancers are caused by smoking, and cases of lung cancer are said to mirror the smoking rates two to three decades earlier. Smoking was most prevalent among British women during the 1960s, when around 45 per cent of women smoked. This has since fallen to around 22 per cent.
More than 18,000 cases were diagnosed among women in 2009, compared with fewer than 8,000 cases in 1975.
Jean King, director of tobacco control at Cancer Research UK, said that the latest figures show the deadly impact of tobacco and shows the high number of female smokers decades ago.
“It’s vital that the UK closes one of the last remaining loopholes that portrays smoking as something glamorous and normal, rather than the lethal product it truly is,” said Ms King.
“Ending the packet racket and putting all cigarettes in plain packs with large health warnings is crucial. No one wants to see children take up smoking, and while plain packs won’t stop everyone from smoking, it will give millions of children one less reason to start.”
Half of all long-term smokers are killed by diseases associated with tobacco and a total of 19,410 men and 15,449 women died from the lung cancer in 2010.
