Epidemiologist Diego Serraino presented a study estimating 29,412 excess lung and cervical cancer cases in EU countries above the bloc average, with incidence varying widely by country.
The analysis used 2024 estimates from the European Cancer Information System (ECIS) and was presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Madrid. It calculated excess cases by comparing national incidence rates with the EU average.
Romania's estimated cervical cancer incidence was 36 cases per 100,000 women, compared with five in Malta. Across 10 countries with rates above the EU average, the estimated excess totaled 4,866 cases; Romania accounted for 2,475.
For lung cancer among women, Denmark had the highest reported rate at 83 per 100,000, while Lithuania had the lowest at 20. The 11 countries above the EU average accounted for 13,441 estimated excess cases.
Among men, the estimates ranged from 130 cases per 100,000 in Hungary to 38 in Sweden. Twelve countries exceeded the EU average, accounting for 11,105 estimated excess cases.
The study pointed to anti-smoking policies as a way to prevent lung cancer and to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and screening for cervical cancer. A separate World Health Organization assessment also found rural gaps in cervical cancer screening in many low- and middle-income countries and linked differences in disease risks and care to residence, education and income.
