New analysis of government statistics by researchers at the charity Children with Cancer UK found that there are now 1,300 more cancer cases a year compared with 1998, the first time all data sets were published.
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The rise is most apparent in teenagers and young adults aged between 15 and 24, where the incident rate has risen from around 10 cases in 100,000 to almost 16.
It’s Childhood Cancer Awareness month and a local auto club is putting on a fund raiser for child cancer research.
Some 4,000 children and young people develop cancer every year in the United Kingdom, and cancer is the leading cause of death in children aged 1-14 years in the UK.
He told the Sunday Telegraph that burnt barbecues, the electric fields of power lines, and hairdryers were contributors to the rise, as well as a pregnant mother’s diet and working shifts. “‘We were shocked to see the figures, and it’s our modern lifestyle I’m afraid”.
“They tend to be doing a lot less exercise and there’s also a lot of fast food being eaten, which is fine in moderation, but we know they do contain cancer giving substances”. Many everyday items, such as iPads, hair dryers, the electricity coming into homes, char-grilled food, air pollution, pesticides and solvents all play a role, and young people are most affected say the researchers.
Colon cancer is up 200 percent, thyroid cancer rates have doubled, ovarian cancer is up 50 percent and cervical, 50 percent.
Children with Cancer says it’s costing the UK’s National Health Service an extra £130 million a year (NZ$237 million).
‘What’s worrying is it is very hard to avoid a lot of these things.
The charity is hosting a three-day global conference on childhood cancer which begins on Monday. How can you avoid air pollution? “Catching it early can also prevent cancer as in my case, I am a cancer survivor – my cancer was addressed at a very early stage so here I am, 12 years later, still alive”.
‘There are some factors which can increase the risk of childhood cancer like inherited genetic conditions and exposure to radiation – but these are usually not avoidable and no one should feel blamed for a child getting cancer.
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Children with Cancer UK look at ONS figures recorded over the last 16 years to draw their conclusions.
