A Picture of Prostate Cancer in Europe

HAMBURG—The Federation of European Cancer Societies released information on prostate cancer in Europe at its biennial European Cancer Conference (ECCO 9).

• In Europe, one man in 11 is diagnosed with prostate cancer, which accounts for 13% of all new cancer diagnoses and almost 9% of cancer deaths.
• The death rate tends to be highest in northern European countries and lowest in southern and eastern Europe.
• Death rates from prostate cancer have risen dramatically in recent years, probably because of the increasing number of elderly men in the population. In England and Wales, for example, there were 4,313 deaths attributed to prostate cancer in 1974, compared with 8,735 in 1992, a 103% increase in only 17 years.