ONE in five of all cancer deaths in Europe is due to smoking.
New figures have revealed that 20 per cent of all cancer deaths in Europe are lung cancer, with the overwhelming majority of cases caused by smoking.
The figures, released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, say British women are the most likely in Europe to develop lung cancer with three per cent developing it in their lifetime.
Lung cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer at 13.2 per cent. Last year there were 380,000 lung cancer deaths throughout Europe.
The figures back up the Bolton Evening News Stub It Out campaign, which aims to ban smoking in all public places in Bolton.
Bolton's quit smoking service Fresh Focus hopes the figures will hammer home the dangers of smoking and encourage politicians to go ahead with a public places smoking ban.
Deborah Smethurst, lead for tobacco control for Bolton Primary Care Trust, said: "This is yet more compelling evidence that people should not be exposed to tobacco smoke. It would be interesting to know how many of those lung cancer deaths are people who have not smoked."
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