Fewer people in the EU may be dying of cancer, but its incidence rose by almost 20% from 2002 to 2008, reports a special issue of the European Journal of Cancer (EJC) published on 13 September. Studies presented in the EJC, which is the official journal of the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO), received funding from EUROCADET project.

EUROCADET ('The impact of key determinants on the current and future burden of cancer in Europe') project received more than EUR 987 000 under the 'Research for policy support' cross-cutting activity of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).

In one of the papers presented in European Journal of Cancer (EJC), Dr José M. Martin-Morena of the University of Valencia in Spain said the current economic crisis in Europe could potentially impact upon the incidence of this disease in myriad areas. For example, governments and pharmaceutical companies could be inclined to slash research and development (R&D) budgets; public donations to cancer research funded by charitable organisations could drop; and occupational exposure to carcinogens is likely to increase.

A study from South Korea, conducted in the late 1990s, found that health and safety cost cuts were directly linked to one's capacity to avoid bankruptcy. For industries with potentially high levels of carcinogenic contamination such as mining this effect is compounded.

Researchers have pointed out that cancer prevention encompasses various factors such as genetics, the environment, employment, lifestyle choices, infections, and access to preventive healthcare.

So ideally, efforts to control this disease would coincide with efforts to control hypertension as well as to curb greenhouse gas emissions. According to the researchers, people must step up to the plate and act in order to prevent the further spread of cancer. When cancer grows, people pay the price. Health systems also feel the pressure, as costs surge and treatment and care resources are overstretched.

Experts believe however that, with a little effort, cancer prevention could be strengthened during times of crisis, rather than the reverse.. Cutting costs by adopting healthier lifestyle habits could help many avoid cancer.

There are european studies to develop a method of cancer prevention. MIRACLE project is an example, because it are contributing to this end with an advanced LOC system for the detection and characterisation of circulating and disseminated tumour cells will lead to faster and cost-efficient diagnosis of cancer.

In another study, Dr Esther de Vries of the Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam in the Netherlands investigated with colleagues how preventing weight gain and promoting physical activity impacts colon cancer incidence in seven European countries (Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, France, Latvia, Netherlands and UK).

Since 1975 the colon cancer incidence in Europe has risen, so that it accounted for more than 13% of the cancer burden by 2008. Colon cancer ranks second in cancer mortality in Europe.

Physical inactivity triggers a bigger body mass index (BMI), while increased physical activity helps people avoid weight gain. It should be noted that increased physical activity does not necessarily result in weight loss for overweight people.

For his part, Professor Michael Baumann of the University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Dresden, Germany, and European Cancer Organisation (ECCO) President said that cancer prevention may not be foremost in the policymakers' minds at present, but right now it is more relevant than it has ever been before.