It has been estimated that over one-quarter of the global burden of cancer incidence occurs in
Europe, despite the fact that persons living in Europe comprise only approximately oneeighth
of the world’s population. Within Europe, for all the countries considered,
improvement in age-adjusted death rates are more marked in men than women, with
however notable disparities. There is a disparity in cancer mortality between central
European post- 2004 accession countries (particularly Poland) and countries of the EU15.
This was seen in the early 2000s and is not projected to have closed, at least in proportional
terms, over recent years.
The global burden of cancer doubled between 1975 and 2000 and is expected to double again
by 2020 and nearly triple by 2030. Cancer burden in many countries in societal and economic
transition from a communicable to a non-communicable epidemiology and demography is a
net burden between reductions in infection-related cancers and increases in new cases that
are more associated with reproductive, dietary, and hormonal factors