The number of people being diagnosed with cancer in Europe is going to rise in the following years as the population ages, the European Commission said in a statement released Thursday.

 

More than 3 million Europeans are diagnosed with cancer every year. Breast cancers account for 30 percent of deaths, while cervical cancers account for 27 percent in women. Breast cancers, cervical cancers and colorectal cancers kill almost one on three women who get the disease. These figures are expected to rise as the population ages and the economic conditions don’t encourage health care that much either.

 

Referring to this specific problem, EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said, “In these times of financial uncertainty, we need to recognize, more than ever, the importance of planning for a healthy future.”

 

Various forms of cancer have good prognosis if caught in their early stages. This is why screening is very important. Vassiliou added that investing in cancer screening programs “will pay long-term dividends, as prevention is the most efficient and cost-effective way to minimize the European burden of cancer.”

 

According to a report of the European Commission, around 55 million people attended screening programs for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer in 2007. Around 32 million of those screenings were for cervical cancer

 

To meet targets set five years ago, European countries would have to conduct 125 million screenings, more than double the number currently being carried out.