Males

According to the Office for National Statistics, the total incidence of cancer in men in England and Wales has risen 19% between 1971 and 2003, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers. If both lung cancer and Non-melanoma skin cancers are excluded, then the overall incidence of cancer in men has risen by 49%. The reason for excluding lung cancer in men is because men have significantly reduced smoking and the subsequent decline in lung cancer offsets an otherwise general increase in cancer incidence.

Some cancers are rising alarmingly. Melanoma, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Prostate, Testicular, kidney and Multiple Myeloma have increased by more than 100%. The incidence of prostate cancer now exceeds the incidence of lung cancer. Apart from lung, pancreas, stomach, bladder, Larynx and Hodgkin's, age-adjusted cancer incidence in males has been steadily rising, as the attached diagrams show.

> View Graphs on Male Cancer rates

Females

Again we see a worrying increase in cancer incidence during the period 1971-2003. Excluding lung and non-malignant skin cancers, overall age standardised cancer incidence in females has risen by 38%. If we include lung cancer (since women have not reduced smoking the way men have) then the increase rises to 41%

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Melanoma and Kidney cancer have risen by more than 100%, consistent with the increase in men. Breast cancer has risen by 80% and because the base is so high, the sheer number of women concerned is very worrying. Other than cervix, stomach and Hodgkin's, age-adjusted cancer incidence in females has been steadily rising, as the attached diagrams show.

> View Graphs on Female Cancer rates