SPAIN has the lowest breast cancer mortality rate in Europe, according to new research.
The country registers around 16 deaths per 100,000 of the female population per year, compared to a European average of 23.9.
Portugal, Cyprus and Finland are the countries with the next lowest figures, 19, 20.3 and 20.6 respectively, according to Cancer Research UK.
The rate is highest in Ireland, at 31 per 100,000.
Research carried out by MacMillan Cancer Support, meanwhile, found that England and Wales had registered the largest fall in the number of deaths from breast cancer in the past 25 years.
The change – 41% – represents the greatest improvement in survival rates seen in the EU, although it is worth noting that the countries had the highest mortality rates when the study began.
The turnaround is said to be the result of new drugs introduced over the past two decades.
