Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Study claims more than 40% of Scottish cancer cases are preventable

Smoking, obesity and infections are behind about cancer 250 diagnoses a week (Getty Images/iStock)
Smoking, obesity and infections are behind about cancer 250 diagnoses a week (Getty Images/iStock)

 

ABOUT 13,000 cancer cases in Scotland could be prevented each year by lifestyle changes, according to new figures.

Smoking, obesity and infections are behind about 250 diagnoses a week, making it the highest proportion of preventable cases compared to other UK nations at 41%.

The latest Cancer Research UK figures, calculated from 2015 data, come as the charity calls on the Scottish Government to do more to tackle the issue.

Professor Linda Bauld, prevention expert, said: “These research findings are startling in that, for the first time, we can see how many cases of cancer in Scotland could be prevented by things like not smoking and keeping a healthy weight.

“With smoking rates continuing to decline, carrying excess weight is the biggest public health threat on the horizon.

“This alarming number of weight-related cancer cases poses a huge challenge in the fight against cancer.

“With a higher proportion of weight-related cancers in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK, it’s clear that strong action is needed.

“As part of its expected diet and obesity strategy, the Scottish Government must tackle what is the biggest preventable health crisis of our generation and make a real difference to the future of everyone in Scotland.

“In the fight against obesity, laws to restrict the tempting junk food deals that are at the heart of Scotland’s poor diet will be crucial.”

Smoking was the biggest preventable cause of cancer in Scotland despite the continued decline in smoking rates.

It caused around 3,200 cases of cancer in men (21% of all male cancer cases) and around 2,500 (16%) in women in 2015, according to the research published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Excess weight was Scotland’s second biggest preventable cause, with around 2,200 (7%) cases a year – around six a day.

Obesity causes 13 types of cancer, including bowel, breast, womb and kidney.

The results suggest more than one in 20 cases could be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight.

The third biggest preventable cause of cancer in Scotland is infections, which cause around 1,400 cases of cancer a year (5% of all cancer cases).

Most of these cases are linked to Human Papillomavirus and H. Pylori.