Cancer causes a quarter of all deaths in England and Wales. There is great professional and public interest in cancer trends, but no satisfactory source to which to turn to find information about these trends and explanation of them. It is even more difficult to know where to turn for information on trends in factors causing cancer. This book presents new analyses that bring together for the first time, data on cancer trends in the country since 1868. Detailed consideration is given to the reasons for changes in rates of cancer, in relation to a wide range of risk factors and preventive factors. Data are presented with figures and tables describing long-term trends in more than 50 factors that may affect the risk of cancer, including AIDS, asbestos exposure, cancer screening, childbearing, diet smoking and ultraviolet radiation. Particular attention is given to trends in recent decades, but historical trends are also considered. The book provides a comprehensive unparalleled source of data that are otherwise hard or impossible to find elsewhere and gives new analyses of cancer trends, in easily accessible form, with clear explanation.
