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Epidemiological Study Into Cancers In Gibraltar Shows That Totalcancer Incidence Rate In Gibraltar Is Within The Normal Range Ofother European Countries And That Gibraltar Is Not A High Risk community For Cancer
– Reported, January 20, 2012
The Government of Gibraltar has a manifesto commitment to investigate this issue, and had for several years been attempting to conduct this study jointly with the appropriate Spanish authorities in order that the investigation could take account of and report on a wider regional basis. This did not prove possible and therefore, in accordance with its commitment the Gibraltar Government has proceeded alone.
Already, back in the beginning of the last decade, the Gibraltar Government had established a Cancer Registry to collect cancer incidence data in Gibraltar, without which a Study of these issues would have been impossible.In discharge of its commitment to establish the position in respect of these important questions, the Government of Gibraltar commissioned renowned experts in these matters
from the National Environmental Research Institute of Aarhus University, Denmark to conduct an Epidemiological study into cancers in Gibraltar. They are renowned experts in the conduct of such studies. The study was conducted by Dr Hans Sanderson and Dr
Patrik Fauser, both of the National Environmental Research Institute of Aarhus University The Epidemiological Study Report into cancers in Gibraltar, dated 22 December 2010 is being published today. The full report is available on the Gibraltar Government website.
Attached to this press statement is a copy of the Reports Executive Summary and Conclusions, which provides answers to 6 fundamental questions.
The Report points out two relevant contextual facts, namely:
(1) The global burden of cancer is increasing, especially in the developed world.Globally one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. For one in three of these women the diagnosis will be breast cancer;
(2) The cancer incidence rate increases exponentially with age especially at 60+years of age. Accordingly, as populations grow older, that is the ratio of older people as a proportion of the whole increases, so does the cancer rate and the proportion of the
population affected by cancer.
The main findings of the Study are that:
the total cancer incidence rate in Gibraltar is within the normal range of other European countries;
Gibraltar is not a high risk community for cancer;
The total cancer incidence rate in Gibraltar for the whole population is at the EU average. Attached is a copy of Table 3.14 of the Study Report showing Gibraltars position in relation to all EU countries and the EU average;
The cancer rate for men only is in the lower quarter of the EU range with only four EU countries having a lower rate than Gibraltar.
The total cancer incidence rate in Gibraltar for women only is in the upper quarter of the range of EU countries, but still within the normal range for EU countries.
In summary, cancer incidence rates in Gibraltar among men is below the EU average and for women it is above the EU average but well within the normal EU range. The difference between the men and women rates in Gibraltar relative to the
EU average is due mainly to breast cancer.
Breast cancer represents 38% of cancers in women and is a priority type. Breast cancer is the most frequent type among European women. The incidence rate among Gibraltarian women is higher than the EU average and at the upper end,
with a similar rate to Denmark, UK and Switzerland;
Measured concentrations of carcinogens in the air pollution exposures in Gibraltar are within the normal ranges of EU cities.
Credits: GOVERNMENT OF GIBRALTAR
More Information at: http://www.esg-gib.net/gibraltar-govt-press-release-re-epidemiological-study/
– WF Team