New figures have revealed that more women are dying from lung cancer, bucking the downward trend for death rates from other cancers.

Over the ten years to 2008, lung cancer deaths increased by more than 11% among women but went down by 21% in men. Bowel cancer death rates among both men and women fell by 16% and breast cancer deaths in women fell by 13%.

Prostate cancer deaths were down by 12%.

The NHS today issued updated cancer mortality figures for Scotland.

The statistics showed a total of 15,211 people died from cancer last year, and although “age-standardised” death rates have fallen, the actual number of deaths has gone up.

This, say the statisticians, reflects an increasingly elderly population and the fact that cancer is relatively common among elderly people.

For the last 10 years, overall death rates have gone down by 12% for men with cancer and 5% for women with cancer. Lung, bowel, breast and oesophagus cancer remain the big killers.

Major health differences between rich and poor are also reinforced in the figures.

People living in the poorest areas have cancer rates 40% higher than those in the wealthiest areas, and death rates from cancer are 75% higher.

But this varies according to the type of cancer. Lung and other types of smoking-related cancer is more common in deprived areas but death rates from skin cancer are highest in the least deprived areas.

For women, cervical cancer is commoner in the poorest areas but breast cancer is commoner in the wealthiest areas, probably because of take-up for breast screening.

A similar picture is found for prostate cancer in men. Although death rates are similar in rich and poor areas, the disease is more commonly found in less deprived areas, again possibly because of more testing.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “It’s very encouraging that overall cancer deaths continue to fall, down 7% between 1998-2008, and that premature cancer deaths are down 20% since 1995.

“This is particularly heartening since the incidence of cancer is rising, partly because we have an ageing population.

“As with many other illnesses, cancer mortality is greater in deprived areas.

“These health inequalities are unacceptable and we are tackling them on a number of fronts. For example, we are taking a wide range of measures to combat excess drinking, making cigarettes less attractive and less available to young people, and encouraging other healthy lifestyle choices.”

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