In the European Union (EU), cancer was the cause of death for almost 1.3 million persons in 2013, responsible for just over a quarter (26%) of all deaths, Eurostat announced on February 4.
Men (726 500 deaths due to cancer) were more affected than women (570 300). In addition, fatal cancer represented more than a third (37%) of all deaths for the EU population aged less than 65, while this level was below a quarter (23%) for the older population (those aged 65 years and over).
Leading to the death of nearly 270 000 persons (or 21 % of all deaths due to cancer), lung cancer was the main type of fatal cancer in the EU in 2013, followed by colorectal cancer (153 100 or 12 %), breast cancer (92 600 or 16% for the female population only), pancreas cancer (81 300 or 6%) and prostate cancer (72 700 or 10% of all fatal cancers for the male population only).
This information is published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, on the occasion of the World Cancer Day, taking place each year on 4 February.
An infographic is also available on the Eurostat website www.ec.europa.eu/eurostat
