Cases of skin cancer in the Netherlands continue to rise

In 2016, 15,836 people in the Netherlands were diagnosed with some form of skin cancer making it the most common form of cancer in the country, according to new figures out on Friday.

The rise of 1,100 over the year is partly due to increased exposure to UV rays, Dutch cancer charity KWF Kankerbestrijding told website Nu.nl. Children are particularly vulnerable as ‘serious sunburn at a young age doubles the chance of melanoma as an adult,’ the charity said.

Bowel cancer is the next most common form of cancer, with 15,427 new patients recorded last year. The number of prostate cancer cases rose by 500 to 11,064, making this the most common form of cancer among men. There were 14,511 new breast cancer patients, and breast cancer remains the most common female cancer.

In total, 108,400 people in the Netherlands were diagnosed with some form of cancer last year. In 2016, the national statistics office CBS said bowel cancer has overtaken prostate cancer as the second biggest killer of men in the Netherlands. Bowel cancer remains the third biggest killer of women, behind lung and breast cancer, the CBS said.

The Netherlands recently introduced a national bowel cancer screening programme for the over-55s. in 2015, 73% of the people approached to take part went ahead with the test. The EU’s statistics agency Eurostat said last year the death rate from cancer in the Netherlands is the second highest in Europe. In total, 31% of deaths in the Netherlands are due to cancer, compared with 26% in the EU as a whole.

Dutch News