THE LIFESTYLE CANCER ALERT
Shock rise in illness as older mums are warned of additional risk
WOMEN delaying or not having children may be contributing to a sharp rise in womb cancer, experts have warned. Rates have soared by a quarter in the past decade and there are now 8,700 new cases a year.
But the risk of developing the illness is a third higher in women who have never had children. This is because they are more exposed during their lives to the hormone oestrogen, which may trigger tumour growth.
Changes in patterns of motherhood are among several modern lifestyle factors contributing to a significant rise in all types of cancer in the past few decades.
A report released today by Cancer Research UK shows that rates of the different types of the illness have increased by 12 per cent since the 1990s.
Around 352,200 Britons are now being diagnosed a year and the rise is mainly due to the ageing population.
But the charity also said that lifestyle reasons such as obesity, smoking, drinking and not having children are playing a
part. Further analysis shows that rates are increasing faster in the particular cancers most l i nked to modern lifestyles. Liver cancer rates have increased by 59 per cent in a decade, partly due to excessive drinking and being overweight.
Rates for malignant melanoma skin cancer have soared by 54 per cent, largely as a result of holidays abroad.
For womb cancer they have gone from 23 per 100,000 in 2001-2003 to 29 per 100,000 in 2011-2013. It is the fourth most common cancer in women after breast, bowel and lung.
Breast cancer rates have risen by 8 per cent in ten years, from 152 per 100,000 to 165 per 100,000. The risk is higher in women who have not had children and it i s also l i nked to smoking, obesity and alcohol.
Previous figures for Scotland show cancer cases have risen 4 per cent, from 613 per 100,000 people in 20012003 to 634 per 100,000 in 2011-2013.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: ‘ While cancer incidence is increasing, largely due to the fact that people are living longer, more people are surviving cancer.’
The Scottish Government has set up a £39million Detect Cancer Early programme. Miss Robison said: ‘This has resulted in the number of people living for at least five years after a cancer diagnosis reaching a record high.’
Cancer Research UK expert Professor Linda Bauld, based at the University of Stirling, said: ‘We know that having a child before the age of 35 has a preventative effect on breast cancer risk, and on womb cancer.
‘When women are pregnant their cells multiply, and this can mean more healthy cells, particularly if they are pregnant at a younger age. If they have a baby later on, some of the cells which have genetic damage can multiply, increasing their risk.’
Levels of progesterone increase during pregnancy – and it is believed this
‘People think it is down to genes’
hormone may protect against cancer. As many as one in five women aged 45 are childless, a figure which has almost doubled since the 1940s.
Fiona Osgun of Cancer Research UK said: ‘Having fewer children, or having them later on in life, is linked to an increased risk of some cancers. But there are plenty of things we have more control over, such as not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, eating a healthy balanced diet, being physically active, drinking less alcohol and staying safe in the sun – that can help lower the risk of cancer.’
Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said: ‘People often think cancer is down to their genes or just bad luck. Although genes do play a role there are still many things people can do to reduce their cancer risk. The most important is to not smoke.
‘We also know that maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising and eating a healthy balanced diet is important. There is no guarantee against cancer but there are things we can do to make us less likely to get it.’