Cancer death rates fall among 50-somethings

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 12:02 in Health & Medicine

Deaths from cancer in Britain have fallen 40% in people aged 50 to 59, according to figures produced by Cancer Research UKDeaths from cancer among 50-somethings have fallen to their lowest level in 40 years, thanks to better diagnosis, fewer people smoking and new drugs improving patients' chances of survival.In 1971 over 21,300 people in the UK aged between 50 and 59 died of cancer, but in 2010 a total of just under 14,000 did so - a fall of 40% - according to new figures produced by Cancer Research UK (CRUK).The overall rate of people in that age group dying from the disease has dropped from 310 per 100,000 people to 185 per 100,000 people over that period. For example, the proportion of 50 to 59-year-olds dying of either stomach cancer or Hodgkin's lymphoma has dropped by more than 75%. While about 25 people in every 100,000 died of...

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