Womb Cancer Deaths 'Are Rising'

The number of women dying from cancer of the womb - known as uterine cancer - has increased by nearly 18% in the past decade, according to the charity Cancer Research UK. Data showed that more cases are now being diagnosed. While women are living longer after a diagnosis, the total number of deaths has also increased. It has been argued that rising levels of obesity were behind the rise. Cancer Research UK said the finding was "hugely troubling". Cancer of the womb is the fourth most common cancer in women and tends to occur after the menopause. From the 1970s to 1996 the incidence of womb cancer stayed roughly the same at about 13.7 cases for every 100,000 women in the UK. It now stands at 19.6 per 100,000, a 43% increase. Survival rates have improved with 77% of women now living at least five years after treatment. However, deaths have gone up.