Cancer is one of the most prolific killers in the world. In the United Kingdom alone, cancer causes 157,000 deaths every single year. It’s no surprise, then, that finding new ways to treat cancer is one of the strongest medical priorities. More research goes into trying to get rid of cancer than any other disease in the world.
However, we are far from getting it right just yet. In fact, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has announced that at least 13,000 premature deaths from cancer a year could be prevented. It suggested that the government should do more to raise awareness of how people can reduce their cancer risk.
The announcement comes after a survey showed that nearly a third of Britons who developed cancer blamed ‘fate’. Although the general mortality rate in the UK is predicted to continue declining, the number of deaths attributed to cancer is expected to rise to around 182,000 by 2025. This is thought to be due to the growing and ageing population.
The study by the WCRF looked at more than 2,000 adults and confirmed that 28 percent thought that little could be done to prevent cancer. This is a real concern as it shows that a significant portion of the UK don’t realise what they can do to help them avoid cancer.
Of course, the best ways to prevent cancer are always the simplest. Eating healthily, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight are all excellent ways to keep your cancer risk as low as possible.
It is important, however, for health bodies and governments to educate people in all the ways that they can keep their cancer worries to a minimum. The huge number of deaths that could be prevented shows that many people can be doing far more to help themselves.
Comments are closed.