SYDNEY, July 9 (Xinhua) — More than 230,000 cancer deaths have been prevented in Australia since the mid-1980s thanks to decades of investment in cancer prevention, screening and treatment, a new study revealed.
The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health on Tuesday, found that anti-smoking campaigns have driven a sharp decline in lung cancer deaths, while improved screening and treatments have reduced mortality from breast, cervical, and stomach cancers, said the study’s lead researcher Brigid Lynch, deputy dead of Cancer Epidemiology at Cancer Council Victoria.
“What we’re seeing is a snowball effect, we’re now seeing the result of investments made in cancer control over the many decades,” Lynch said.
Since the 1980s, the risk of dying from cancer has dropped by 20 percent for men and 11 percent for women, said the study.
However, the study warns that deaths from liver and brain cancers are still rising, largely due to lifestyle factors and chronic infections.
Experts call for continued investment in prevention and early detection, especially as cancer incidence is expected to rise by 50 percent by 2044 due to Australia’s ageing population. ■