BREAST CANCER DEATHS FALL IN UK
Baku, August 13 (AZERTAC). Breast cancer deaths have fallen in the UK since the 1980s, but mortality rates from the disease continue to be among the highest in Europe, a study shows, according to BBC News.
The review of 30 countries, led by French researchers, showed the UK rate dropped by about a third, thanks to better care and speedier diagnosis.
The number of UK deaths caused by breast cancer fell to 28.2 per 100,000 - equivalent to 12,000 deaths per year.
The government said more progress, such as earlier diagnosis, was still needed.
Researchers looked at the rate at which breast cancer was highlighted as a cause of death from 1987-9 and compared that with 2004-6, the British Medical Journal reported.
Overall the mortality rate across the 30 countries fell by a fifth to 24 per 100,000 deaths.
Spain had the lowest rate at 18.9. The UK, by comparison, fell from 41.6 to 28.2 per 100,000.
But despite the progress, the UK was still lagging behind countries such as Romania and Estonia as well as the likes of Germany and France.
