Cancer is dangerous in Luxembourg

Is cancer inevitable? No, assured Health Minister Martin Deprez (CSV) ahead of World Cancer Day on Sunday. “It’s important to be aware of the risk factors highlighted by science and work together to adopt a healthy and balanced lifestyle (…) It’s a glimmer of hope that encourages us to continue working proactively to protect our health,” she said.

Good habits to adopt include not smoking, reducing alcohol consumption or sun exposure, eating a balanced diet and exercising. According to Health Department statistics, 19% of cancer deaths could have been avoided, just by preventive measures.

Because cancer remains one of the two leading causes of death every year in Luxembourg along with cardiovascular diseases. In 2022, 1,099 people died from it, or 25% of deaths in the country. Among men, lung cancer is the deadliest (109 cases), followed by prostate cancer (47 deaths) and pancreatic cancer (46 deaths). For women, breast cancer (105 deaths) leads lung cancer (81 deaths) and pancreatic cancer (52 deaths).

The minister’s message of hope and resilience follows much less optimistic revelations from the WHO, which expects a 77% increase in cancer cases in 2050, mainly due to tobacco, alcohol and diet.

A big consumer of meat, alcohol and cigarettes, Luxembourg is a very poor student in this area. What with an increasingly aging population.

Should we expect an explosion in the number of tumors in 25 years? This is what health authorities want to avoid with multiple prevention initiatives, but there are also improvements in terms of care. The ministry specifically wants to work on quality of care, information sharing, availability of drugs and development of specialties in oncology.