Cancer Surpasses Heart Disease, Now Europe's Leading Cause of Death

For several decades, heart disease has remained the leading cause of death in the U.K. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 4 million deaths across Europe are attributed to heart disease. But now there's an even bigger killer: cancer.

According to a recent study published in the European Heart Journal, cancer has surpassed heart disease as being the main cause of death in a dozen different European countries -- and that includes the U.K. Researchers stress that heart disease is still the leading cause of death in many countries. There's been a growing number of cancer cases in recent years, however, with cancer-related deaths surpassing heart disease-related deaths in the U.K., Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.

It's important to note that death rates vary dramatically between the different countries. In EU countries, for instance, heart disease was responsible for roughly one-third of all deaths. In comparison, heart disease was responsible for more than a half of all deaths in non-EU member countries.

As explained by the study's researchers, most heart disease-related deaths occur in Eastern European countries, the reason for which is unknown.

"These figures highlight the wide inequalities between European countries in deaths from CVD. The 12 countries in which cancer has overtaken CVD as the main cause of death are all found in Western Europe, with nine of them having been members of the EU before 2004. The highest numbers of deaths from CVD tend to be seen in Eastern European countries," said Dr. Nick Townsend, researcher from the University of Oxford and the study's lead author.

So, what do these findings mean exactly? While this study was limited in nature, it attests to the growing problem in cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO have been focused on reducing heart disease rates in recent years. However, studies such as this reveal a hidden killer that often goes unnoticed.

The good news is that recent advancements in modern medicine have increased the success rate of cancer treatments. When detected early, there's a relatively high chance of success. The key thing to remember, however, is that cancer must be detected early; otherwise, the chance of success lowers dramatically.