25-Year UK Trends in Cancer Incidence and Mortality

25-Year UK Trends in Cancer Incidence and Mortality

ByHolly Zink

Cancer remains a significant public health challenge worldwide, with its impact extending across generations. A recent study sheds light on the evolving landscape of cancer in the UK over the past 25 years. Their retrospective analysis, focusing on adults aged 35-69, offers valuable insights into cancer trends, highlighting both progress and areas that require continued attention. Increasing Incidence, Decreasing Mortality One of the key findings of the study is the notable increase in cancer incidence among adults in the specified age group. The number of cancer cases rose by 57% for men and 48% for women between 1993 and 2018. This increase was primarily driven by rising rates of prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. However, when…

UK Announces “Landmark” Mesothelioma Ruling
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UK Announces “Landmark” Mesothelioma Ruling

ByAlex Strauss

Britain’s highest court has issued what is being called a ‘landmark’ ruling for victims of mesothelioma and other industrial diseases. Mesothelioma is a fast-growing cancer of the membranous tissue (mesothelium) that surrounds the lungs and lines the abdomen. It is caused by exposure to asbestos.  Because of the heavy use of asbestos as an insulator and building material in the past, England now has one of the highest per capita rates of mesothelioma in the world. According to the country’ largest trade union, approximately 2,500 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year – about the same number as are diagnosed in the entire United States. Since mesothelioma can take decades to develop, the UK Supreme Court was being asked to decide…

U.K. Government Releases ‘Shocking’ Mesothelioma Stats
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U.K. Government Releases ‘Shocking’ Mesothelioma Stats

ByAlex Strauss

The British government has released some surprising and disturbing figures highlighting the size of the mesothelioma problem in the country. In a new report that Britain’s Express’ calls “shocking”, the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says more than 1.8 million people are exposed to asbestos every year in the country and one dies of the disease every four hours. As the incidence of mesothelioma continues to rise, the HSE predicts that 5,000 people will die of it each year by 2015. That figure means mesothelioma numbers may be twice as high in the U.K. (and much higher per capita) as in the U.S., where the National Cancer Institute currently estimates 2,500 deaths a year. Mesothelioma is a malignancy that…

UK Mesothelioma Families Win Supreme Court Victory
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UK Mesothelioma Families Win Supreme Court Victory

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma patients in the United Kingdom have won an important legal victory in the country’s Supreme Court. The high court has upheld the cases of two women who died of mesothelioma after exposure to relatively low levels of asbestos. Enid Costello was a secretary at a packaging factory where she claims to have been exposed to asbestos dust on the job. Costello died of mesothelioma in 2006 at the age of 74. Her employer, Greif UK, Ltd. claimed that her asbestos exposure at work was not enough to cause her mesothelioma and denied that they were at fault in her death. The second subject of the Supreme Court case was Dianne Willmore of North Wales, who died of mesothelioma in…