Danish women hold cancer record

More women die of cancer in Denmark than those of any other European country, reports science website

Women in Denmark die more frequently of cancer than those in any other European country, according to a report on videnskab.dk.

Italian researchers have found that the number of men dying from cancer has fallen in Denmark but more women are succumbing to the fatal disease. They discovered that 141 of every 100,000 women die of cancer each year nationwide – the highest rate in Europe.

Lung cancer is the biggest killer, responsible for 90 percent of all deaths from the disease.

Dr. Hans Henrik Storm of the Danish Cancer Association said that Danish women have historically smoked as much as men, although the figure has fallen in recent years.

‘Also, women in Denmark tend to join the job market earlier than those in other countries, so they’re more susceptible to cancer forms related to the workplace,’ Storm told public broadcaster DR.

‘Moreover, Danish women have children later, which also increases the risk of breast cancer.’

Comments

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JFD - Sure, it's their fault

|2009-11-30 09:38:03

Funny no one mentioned that the "free healthcare" system we pay a fortune for in taxes provides inferior quality of care resulting in improper, and/or late diagnoses as well as suboptimal treatment.

Remember, in socialized medicine, the focus is on the system and minimizing costs. In private healthcare, the focus is on the patient and the cure. For example, the US representes 50% of the world's pharmaceutical and medical device markets while only representing 4.5% of the worlds population.

Regardless, I love how Dr. Storm just blames Danish women themselves for their choice of lifestyle, because afterall God forbid there would actually be something wrong with the beloved public welfare state in Shangri-La.

NotaBITTERforeigner - smoking...

|2009-11-30 09:51:59

causes cancer, ergo, if you smoke and get cancer YOU are to blame. It's a little thing I like to call "personal responsibility."

BTW, I have been here almost 20 years and have had nothing but top notch care, including a diagnosis of cancer and recovery.

Foefke - @ NotaBITTERforeigner

|2009-11-30 12:00:38

So what you are saying is that Danish women smoke more than women in other european countries.

Any source?

dianecarole - join the workforce at an earlier age.....

|2009-11-30 12:41:43

compared to whom, may I ask. This is the only country that sees nothing wrong is still being a student at 30, and not yet having started their career! The rate of cancer may be increased by the general acceptance of smoking, but no one will ever know....so I don't think it is fair to aportion blame. It is a sad fact of cancer..it is so horrible.

NotaBITTERforeigner - huh?

|2009-11-30 13:04:16

I don't know if they smoke more or not, and that is not what I said at all. I was responding to JFD and his last statement "I love how Dr. Storm just blames Danish women themselves for their choice of lifestyle" and pointing out that if you smoke and get lung cancer then yes, you do need to shoulder part of the blame for your own poor life choices...

tomnashdk

|2009-11-30 13:25:43

JFD has a point. The Danish health care system has virtually no regular screening processes in place for cancer and many other afflictions. It is not until a patient comes in with symptoms that any tests are done at all. This is a serious flaw in the system which most likely contributes to these "highest" statistics. The practice of not performing normal screening saves money and allows people to die who otherwise might have lived. Without knowing him or any details about him, I would be VERY surprised if BITTERforeigner's diagnosis was as a result of screening rather than as a result of complaining about symptoms to a doctor, who then put him on a waiting list for a referral, etc.

Once one is under care in the Danish system, the care is usually pretty good. Where Denmark fails miserably is in preventative medicine, which is harder to justify with cost-cutting bureaucrats.

Danish women stupidly smoke a hell of a lot more than women in any other country I have ever seen with the possible exception of third-world countries in Asia, and DK as a whole is still in the Stone Age where smoking is concerned. "Personal responsibility" is certainly a factor here, but it is not the entire story.

tom1980

|2009-11-30 15:41:25

Diane I think that goes for men too. I know men in their late 30s here who have never worked in their entire lives. They are contemplating finishing their PhDs but dont seem to have the motivation to do so seeing as they receive 15000 kroner a month for sitting on their backsides drinking tuborg all day.

Well, if you can't beat them....

npandjmclay - Anecdotally speaking

|2009-11-30 16:36:36

Danes do smoke a lot and....... they eat enormous volumes of processed meats of all shapes and sizes. The smørbrød lunch depends on them. I notice that 'healthy' diets approved by schools here include them too. In fact they are too fatty and contain far too much salt. I've no idea if this is relevant to the topic here but I thought I'd mention it. ;-)

andrew! - screening

|2009-11-30 17:19:59

I agree with tomnashdk about the screening. This is the missing yet critical part of the danish health care system. Let's not to blame the danish health care system as a whole, with which my personal experiences are quite positive.

Constantin - tomnashdk

|2009-12-01 00:54:31

You really should visit a Med country, smoking in DK is still in amateur level.

PC - again with the bad facts!

|2009-12-01 09:01:47

Women enter the job market earlier! Whoever wrote this has never left the country I am sure. The reality is the complete opposite!

Take the south of europe for example where people graduate from university and enter the workforce at the age of 22/23 because economicly there is no way you can be a student beyond that point. A 22/23 year oold woman here as the equivalent mentality of a 18/19 in those countries. No worries in life lets just get wasted on the weekends and travel the world ...

On the topic of cancer treatment dont Danes claim to have the best cancer treatment in the world? Hmmmmm... statistics can be cruel to the ego

NotaBITTERforeigner - a lot of lazy people all over the world....

|2009-12-01 09:38:24

BTW Tom, you are wrong. My cancer was caught by a routine screening and I was in to see the specialist within two weeks. Like I said, myself and 90% of everyone I know really have no complants about the health care they have recieved in this country.

Am I the exception to the rule, maybe, but then again maybe those who have had shitty experiences are the exception. Just depends on where you stand on the issue I guess.

BABS - No surprise there.

|2009-12-01 10:24:22

We all know someone who has had cancer, or died from it.

What struck me was the high volume of women in my community or extended circles who were dying of the cancer. So quickly too. They get all the treatment (must be at very high cost) and then they die.

I think the treatment thrown at women is to cover the fact that there isn't much hope.

I know plenty of women who go to other countries to get treatment for things we could be expecting to get treated for here (TAXES, people, TAXES!!!).

I have said it before and I will say it again: if a woman has come out of a hospital experience in Denmark feeling well treated and 'whole' and not dead, it is not because of the wonderful free health care system here, but because of sheer LUCK.

Depending on the hospital system here is like playing russian roulette, you are dicing with death.

As that nut Dr Phil says: if you haven't got a proper healthcare plan, then you better have a plan to stay healthy.

And yeah, I guess we could blame Danish women for living in a really greedy way (abusing their bodies and waiting for their 'concept' kids) but at the end of the day, the hospitals are supposed to sort out our messes, not exacerbate them.

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Danish women hold cancer record

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