Cancer overtakes cardiovascular disease as number one killer of UK men

Cancer is now the UK's number one killer of men, overtaking cardiovascular disease, according to new research.

Drawing upon the latest nationally available data for each of the four UK countries and the Cardiovascular Disease Statistics 2014 report compiled for the British Heart Foundation, the study showed the percentage of male deaths attributable to cancer was 29 percent, compared to 28 percent for cardiovascular disease.

This is the first time this has been the case since the middle of the 20th century, though cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death among women, killing more young women than breast cancer.

Nevertheless, just under 2.3 million people were living with some form of coronary heart disease in 2012, underlining its status as one of the most dangerous health conditions affecting people in the UK.

The researchers concluded that cardiovascular disease "remains a substantial burden to the UK, both in terms of health and economic costs", while also noting the "stark regional inequalities" that exist in terms of mortality and prevalence rates.