Commission targets Europe's major killer

This week sees the European Union launch an awareness campaign against cancer. It involves an updated version of the European Code against cancer, first drafted in 1987, and the distribution to all 400000 general practitioners in the union of a booklet outlining ways of tackling the disease.

The campaign, promoted by the social affairs commissioner, Padraig Flynn, includes 10 recommendations on how to reduce the risk of some cancers and improve the rate of cure of others; and its message is directed at a wide audience.

A recent poll of 15000 people in the 15 European Union states by the commission's Eurobarometer service revealed that two thirds of the Dutch and just over half the Germans surveyed did not believe cancer could be prevented. That pessimism was not universal. In Sweden 81% believed it could be prevented, and similar sentiments were found in Portugal (80%), France (78%), and, Austria and Denmark and Greece (all 76%).

The survey also suggests that some advice is sinking home. Almost all those polled thought thatsmoking was a risk factor; 88% acknowledged the dangers of excessive exposure to the sun; and over half thought that alcohol, fatty foods, or a diet low in fruit and vegetables increased the risk of cancer. But different nationalities have different levels of awareness. One in two Finns, Danes, Portuguese, and Luxembourgers recognised the potential danger of lack of exercise. In Britain the figure was just 29% and in Italy 26%. Similarly only one Briton in four thought being overweight was a problem.

But even on the basic issue of tobacco the commission believes that more needs to be done. Its October campaign maintains that smoking kills three million people worldwide each year and forecasts that of today's population some 500 million can expect to be killed by tobacco. Yet health and profit do not make easy bedfellows. After China the European Union is the largest producer of cigarettes in the world and also a major exporter: the union itself spends 1000m ecu (pounds sterling833m) supporting tobacco production, although a parliamentary committee voted last week to remove all tobacco premiums (p 1029). The spending, however, is compulsory. Two out of five men in the union and just over a quarter of women are regular smokers.

The revised code against cancer and its accompanying brochures have been prepared with the help of leading cancer experts throughout the union. The British version concentrates on the benefits of a healthier lifestyle and the improved chances of a cure through early detection. Thus it emphasises the benefits of exercise, warns of the ill effects of exposure to the sun, provides information on carcinogens, and encourages women to take part in cervical and breast screening programmes. The commission believes that if the 10 recommendations are followed as many as 100000 deaths from cancer could be avoided each year.

The latest anticancer campaign coincides with the publication for the first time of a Eurostatistical yearbook of comparative data for and about Europeans, designed to increase mutual understanding of the countries of the union.

It includes a wealth of information on lifestyles in the 15 member states, with a specific chapter on life expectancy and causes of death--which vary greatly between member states. Finland, for example, leads the tables for death from heart disease for both men and women. The yearbook is proof that, even though its members are trying to forge a closer union, national characteristics still persist.--RORY WATSON, European Voice, Brussels