Initiatives to Prevent Smoking Among Women Fail as Rates of Lung Cancer Rise

A new research published by a health organization in Britain has revealed that initiatives to create awareness of ill effects of smoking among women have failed as the rate of lung cancer among women has increased over a period of two decades.

According to South West Public Health Observatory, most of the initiatives taken to help quit smoking have concentrated on men and while they have been fairly successful, non-inclusion of women in such drives has led to increased rates of lung cancer among the female population.

The latest figures reveal that the number of lung cancer cases among women have risen from 32.3 cases per 100,000 in 1987 to 35.4 per 100,000 in 2006, a rise of more than 10 percent during the study period.

A department of Health spokesman revealed that the government is looking into various ways of improving the treatment available to help detect lung cancer as early as possible. "We are looking carefully at how best to achieve early diagnosis and have already announced a new campaign starting in January to alert people to the early signs and symptoms of lung, bowel and breast cancer", he said.


Source: Medindia