Oesophageal cancer rate increasing in British men

Oesophageal cancer rates in British men have increased by almost 50 per cent in the past 25 years, Cancer Research UK has revealed.

Figures published by the charity show that around 2,600 men were diagnosed with the disease in 1983, rising to approximately 5,100 by 2008.

The study found that 9.6 in every 100,000 men developed oesophageal cancer in 1983 but that this jumped to 14.4 in 100,000 over the 25-year period.

In women, oesophageal cancer rates were shown to have increased by just eight per cent over the same period, rising from 5.1 cases per 100,000 people in 1983 to 5.5 in 2008.

Professor Janusz Jankowski, a Cancer Research UK-funded clinician at St Bartholomew's Hospital and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, commented: 'We think the obesity epidemic may be a big reason behind the increase. We know that being overweight significantly increases the risk of adenocarcinoma - the main type of oesophageal cancer that's on the up.'

According to Cancer Research UK data, around 20 people in the UK die each day from oesophageal cancer. The condition accounts for five per cent of all cancer deaths in the country.