Large increases occur in cancers of skin and prostate

Large increases in the incidence of melanoma, mesothelioma, and cancer of the prostate occurred between 1991 and 2000, detailed statistics from the Office of National Statistics show.

Cancers of the stomach and cervix showed large decreases in incidence—as did lung cancer in men, though it increased slightly in women.

The office says that the rise in prostate cancer was due to the increased use of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, which enables invasive prostate cancer to be identified early, but which “also identifies latent, non-lethal tumours that may never have caused symptoms and may never have been diagnosed during the man's lifetime.”

Professor Robert Souhami, director of clinical and external affairs at the charity Cancer Research UK, said: “These statistics provide an important insight into the changes in cancer incidence over the last decade.

“The figures highlight the worrying increase in melanoma, which has one of the fastest growing incidences of all cancers, despite it being almost entirely preventable. We need to persuade young people especially to change their attitudes towards tanning and their behaviour relating to the sun and sunbeds.”

The statistics identify marked regional variations in the incidence of cancers of the stomach, lung, and cervix, with rates higher than average in the north east, the north west, and Yorkshire and the Humber and generally lower in the east of England, the south east, and the south west.

Cancer Statistics: Registrations, England 2000 is accessible at www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8843