Cancer in Europe: new report, recent efforts take continent-wide perspective.

P atterns of cancer incidence and mortality across Europe are as varied as the continent’s geography. But a new report finds that, in general, obesity and tobacco use are driving cancer incidence, mortality, and survival across Europe: Overall cancer incidence has decreased since the mid-1990s in northern and western Europe except for obesityrelated cancers, and incidence of and mortality from tobacco-related cancers is falling among men in northern, western, and southern Europe but increasing in central Europe. The analysis, published in the June issue of the European Journal of Cancer , comes as two Europe-wide efforts related to cancer take shape: The European Code Against Cancer is about to be updated for the fi rst time in 5 years, and the European Com mi ssion is gearing up to create a cancer plan for the entire European Union.