Now 1 in 2 will get cancer

Forget the idea that one in three people will get cancer; now it’s one in two, according to latest figures from Cancer Research UK.

Most cancers happen in people who are aged 65 and older, however. Cancer is still primarily a disease of old age, says researcher Prof Peter Sasieni from Queen Mary University in London.

But it’s not inevitable. It can be avoided by giving up smoking, being more active, drinking less alcohol and maintaining a healthy weight, he says. He could have added that eating good nutritious food, and avoiding processed foods, is also important, but he didn’t.

(Source: British Journal of Cancer, 2015; doi: 10.1038/bjc.2014.606)

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