In 1993, the age-specific cancer death rate for men aged 65 and over was nearly twice the rate observed in women. The higher cancer death rate of older men reflects the higher risk men have of developing cancer later in life than women. Men die of prostate cancer later in life, while women die of breast cancer at younger ages. 2,641 Prostate 2,544 . . The lung cancer death rate for men was over twice the rate for women.
Lung cancer is often preventable and has been linked to lifestyle patterns such as smoking.
Half of all people who died from lung cancer were aged over 70. Educating people about ways of preventing lung cancer, such as quitting smoking, will help to decrease the lung cancer death rate. In 1993, breast cancer was the most common type of cancer death in women, accounting for 2,641 deaths. Breast cancer deaths accounted for around 1 in 5 female cancer deaths. Over one-third of all breast cancer deaths in women occurred before the age of 60.