New analysis of incidence from the European Commission shows cancer cases on the rise

New estimates for EU Member States show that 31% of men and 25% of women are expected to be diagnosed with cancer before reaching the age of 75 years, with 14% of men and 9% of women estimated to die from cancer before reaching 75.

The predictions come from European Commission data in the European Cancer Information System (ECIS) and confirm that cancer affects men slightly more than women, with males accounting for 53% of new cancer cases and 55% of cancer deaths in 2022.

New cancer cases rose by 2.3 % in 2022 compared to 2020, to reach 2.74 million, and cancer deaths went up by 2.4 %. Prostate cancer was the third most diagnosed cancer in the EU with an estimated 330,000 cases, constituting 12.1% of all cases. This followed breast cancer (380,000, 13.8%) and colorectal (356,000, 13%).

The new analysis highlights higher incidence rates in Western and Northern EU countries (more than 640 new cases per 100,000 people), and higher mortality rates in Eastern EU countries (more than 300 deaths per 100,000 people).

“These geographical differences can be shaped by the prevalence of key risk factors for specific cancers; the effective delivery of national cancer control plans; the effective implementation of cancer screening programmes for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers; as well variations in diagnostic practice,” says the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.