LONDON (Reuters) - The economic downturn threatens to raise cancer rates in Europe as lifestyles change, budgets are cut, and private and public sector employers take shortcuts on safety, public health experts said on Monday.
The number of deaths from cancer is falling in the region but prevention efforts are lagging behind, with new cases up by almost 20% to 2.5 million in 2008 from 2.1 million in 2002, the European Cancer Organization (ECCO) said in a press statement.
Later this month, in a special issue of the European Journal of Cancer dedicated to "Implementing Cancer Prevention in Europe," the organization plans to report that the current financial crisis is likely to damage cancer prevention in various ways, including by increasing exposure to risk factors through work or lifestyle changes.
It would also affect occupational safety and influence decisions by governments and companies on funds for research.
"Private companies and governments tend to take shortcuts in occupational safety controls during periods of economic hardship," said Dr. Jose Martin-Moreno, a public health and preventative medicine specialist at Spain's Valencia University.
He examined evidence from studies of the impact of recession on a wide range of factors that feed into cancer prevention measures, including smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and exercise, drug research, and occupational risk.
He found that while some studies have detected a slight decrease in the number of cigarettes smoked, there is little evidence to show that recessions prompt more people to quit.
On alcohol, European studies have found that abuse increases among the unemployed and worsens during severe economic downturns.
Public donations to cancer research funded by charitable organizations will fall, the researchers said, and governments as well as the pharmaceutical industry are likely to cut research and development budgets.
The prospects for disease caused by exposure to carcinogens at work are also likely to worsen in tough economic times.
Dr. Martin-Moreno cited a Korean study carried out in the 1990s which found a direct link between the reduction of health and safety costs and the ability to avoid bankruptcy.
"This exemplifies the terrible choice businesses have to make in times of economic downturn -- reduced safety for workers or economic ruin," he said.
Dr. Martin-Moreno's team set out a series of policy suggestions for governments which they said would help stop cancer prevention measures from being undermined.
These included raising taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, adapting public health messages to reinforce economic rewards for healthy changes in behavior such as giving up smoking, and providing incentives to companies to keep up investment in occupational safety.
By Kate Kelland
Last Updated: 2010-09-14 10:55:14 -0400 (Reuters Health)
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![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnieeurope.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=100&q=70&w=100)
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnieeurope.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
