Austria's Cancer Conundrum: Unraveling The Mystery Behind High Rates

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in Austria, with around 42,000 people diagnosed with cancer each year. Lung cancer is a major health problem in the country, with more than 80% of lung cancers in Austria directly related to smoking. Today, smoking remains popular in Austria, and smoking rates are higher than in many other European nations. Laws to restrict or ban smoking in public areas have been slow to implement, and the Austrian tobacco control policy is also limited. Free preventive health activities, such as cancer screening and early detection programs, are included in Austria’s health-care system, which contributes to Austria’s high cancer screening rates, which are among the highest in the European Union.

High prevalence of breast cancer in women

The high prevalence of breast cancer in women is a major health concern in Austria. Cancer diagnosis is rare among children and adolescents in Austria, with only about 200 children younger than age 14 and 100 adolescents (aged 15–19 years) diagnosed with cancer in 2019. Leukemia, lymphomas, and central nervous system tumors were most common. About 30 children and 15 adolescents die of cancer each year in Austria.

The 5-year survival rates in Austria, for some of the common cancers such as colon, lung, breast, and prostate, are above European Union averages. Free preventive health activities, such as cancer screening and early detection programs, are included in Austria’s health-care system.

Despite wide access to cancer screening programs and declining tobacco use worldwide, behavioral risk factors, particularly smoking and tobacco use, remain high in Austria. The Austrian tobacco control policy is also limited, ranking the lowest in the European Union based on the 2013 Tobacco Control Scale. Furthermore, until 2015, smoking indoors and in outdoor eating areas was permitted, and the price of tobacco is among the lowest in the European Union. Such political and behavioral factors contribute to lung cancer as a major health problem in the country. Like other Central European nations, more than 80% of lung cancers in Austria are directly related to smoking.

The high prevalence of breast cancer in women is a major health concern in Austria. Cancer diagnosis is rare among children and adolescents in Austria, with only about 200 children younger than age 14 and 100 adolescents (aged 15–19 years) diagnosed with cancer in 2019. Leukemia, lymphomas, and central nervous system tumors were most common. About 30 children and 15 adolescents die of cancer each year in Austria.

The 5-year survival rates in Austria, for some of the common cancers such as colon, lung, breast, and prostate, are above European Union averages. Free preventive health activities, such as cancer screening and early detection programs, are included in Austria’s health-care system.

Lung cancer as a major health problem

Lung cancer is a major health problem in Austria. More than 80% of lung cancers in Austria are directly related to smoking. Lung cancer incidence and mortality is a serious concern, especially in the female Austrian population, as they remain on the rise. In 2018, health expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product was more than 10%. Per capital health-care spending in Austria is high compared with other countries in the region. Despite high spending and performance standards, systemic issues in the health-care system in Austria remain (such as lack of primary care coordination and aftercare support) and may contribute to negative patient outcomes. For example, Austria has some of the lowest scores in rankings of primary care coordination in the European Union. Some argue this poor coordination is due in part to a lack of clear delineation between primary care and specialist doctors, making access points challenging for patients.

Active smoking is by far the most important contributor to the lung cancer burden, accounting for 80% of lung cancer deaths in men and 50% of lung cancer deaths of women worldwide [20]. Other important etiologic factors include environmental and occupational exposures, passive smoking, other indoor and outdoor air pollution, and genetic factors. Smoking was more common among Austrian men than women around 1900, but the habit spread quickly among women after then, with especially rising rates in the 1940s and 1950s [5]. Despite wide access to cancer screening programs and declining tobacco use worldwide, behavioral risk factors, particularly smoking and tobacco use, remain high in Austria. The Austrian tobacco control policy is also limited, ranking the lowest in the European Union based on the 2013 Tobacco Control Scale. Furthermore, until 2015, smoking indoors and in outdoor eating areas was permitted, and the price of tobacco is among the lowest in the European Union. Such political and behavioral factors contribute to lung cancer as a major health problem in the country.

Lung cancer is a major health problem in Austria. Like other Central European nations, more than 80% of lung cancers in Austria are directly related to smoking. Lung cancer incidence and mortality is a serious concern, especially in the female Austrian population, as they remain on the rise. In 2019, about 200 children younger than age 14 and 100 adolescents (aged 15–19 years) were diagnosed with cancer, representing less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses in the country. Leukemia, lymphomas, and central nervous system tumors were most common. About 30 children and 15 adolescents die of cancer each year in Austria. The 5-year survival rates in Austria, for some of the common cancers such as colon, lung, breast, and prostate, are above European Union averages. Free preventive health activities, such as cancer screening and early detection programs, are included in Austria’s health-care system. Such activities contribute to Austria’s high cancer screening rates, which are among the highest in the European Union.

Tobacco use remains high

Despite wide access to cancer screening programs and declining tobacco use worldwide, behavioral risk factors, particularly smoking and tobacco use, remain high in Austria. The Austrian tobacco control policy is also limited, ranking the lowest in the European Union based on the 2013 Tobacco Control Scale. Furthermore, until 2015, smoking indoors and in outdoor eating areas was permitted, and the price of tobacco is among the lowest in the European Union. Such political and behavioral factors contribute to lung cancer as a major health problem in the country. Like other Central European nations, more than 80% of lung cancers in Austria are directly related to smoking. Smoking was more common among Austrian men than women around 1900, but the habit spread quickly among women after then, with especially rising rates in the 1940s and 1950s. Lung cancer incidence and mortality is a serious concern, especially in the female Austrian population, as they remain on the rise. Active smoking is by far the most important contributor to the lung cancer burden, accounting for 80% of lung cancer deaths in men and 50% of lung cancer deaths of women worldwide [20]. Other important etiologic factors include environmental and occupational exposures, passive smoking, other indoor and outdoor air pollution, and genetic factors.

Systemic issues in the healthcare system

The high cancer screening rates in Austria are among the highest in the European Union. This is due in part to the high prevalence of breast cancer in women, which is characterized by favorable survival. Cancer diagnosis is rare among children and adolescents in Austria. In 2019, about 200 children younger than age 14 and 100 adolescents (aged 15–19 years) were diagnosed with cancer, representing less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses in the country. Leukemia, lymphomas, and central nervous system tumors were most common. About 30 children and 15 adolescents die of cancer each year in Austria. The 5-year survival rates in Austria, for some of the common cancers such as colon, lung, breast, and prostate, are above European Union averages. Free preventive health activities, such as cancer screening and early detection programs, are included in Austria’s health-care system.

Despite wide access to cancer screening programs and declining tobacco use worldwide, behavioral risk factors, particularly smoking and tobacco use, remain high in Austria. The Austrian tobacco control policy is also limited, ranking the lowest in the European Union based on the 2013 Tobacco Control Scale. Furthermore, until 2015, smoking indoors and in outdoor eating areas was permitted, and the price of tobacco is among the lowest in the European Union. Such political and behavioral factors contribute to lung cancer as a major health problem in the country. Like other Central European nations, more than 80% of lung cancers in Austria are directly related to smoking. Active smoking is by far the most important contributor to the lung cancer burden, accounting for 80 % of lung cancer deaths in men and 50 % of lung cancer deaths of women worldwide [20]. Other important etiologic factors include environmental and occupational exposures, passive smoking, other indoor and outdoor air pollution, and genetic factors. Smoking was more common among Austrian men than women around 1900, but the habit spread quickly among women after then, with especially rising rates in the 1940s and 1950s [5]. Lung cancer incidence and mortality is a serious concern, especially in the female Austrian population, as they remain on the rise.

In 2018, health expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product was more than 10%.3 Per capital health-care spending in Austria is high compared with other countries in the region. Despite high spending and performance standards, systemic issues in the health-care system in Austria remain (such as lack of primary care coordination and aftercare support) and may contribute to negative patient outcomes. For example, Austria has some of the lowest scores in rankings of primary care coordination in the European Union. Some argue this poor coordination is due in part to a lack of clear delineation between primary care and specialist doctors, making access points challenging for patients.

Other systemic issues in the healthcare system include a lack of primary care coordination and aftercare support. In Austria, there is a lack of clear delineation between primary care and specialist doctors, which makes access points challenging for patients. The Austrian tobacco control policy is also limited, ranking the lowest in the European Union based on the 2013 Tobacco Control Scale. Furthermore, until 2015, smoking indoors and in outdoor eating areas was permitted, and the price of tobacco is among the lowest in the European Union. Such political and behavioral factors contribute to lung cancer as a major health problem in the country. Like other Central European nations, more than 80% of lung cancers in Austria are directly related to smoking. Active smoking is by far the most important contributor to the lung cancer burden, accounting for 80 % of lung cancer deaths in men and 50 % of lung cancer deaths of women worldwide [20]. Other important etiologic factors include environmental and occupational exposures, passive smoking, other indoor and outdoor air pollution, and genetic factors. Smoking was more common among Austrian men than women around 1900, but the habit spread quickly among women after then, with especially rising rates in the 1940s and 1950s [5]. Lung cancer incidence and mortality is a serious concern, especially in the female Austrian population, as they remain on the rise.

Cancer screening rates are among the highest in the EU

Cancer screening rates in Austria are among the highest in the EU. This is due to the high prevalence of breast cancer in women, which is characterized by favorable survival. Cancer diagnosis is rare among children and adolescents in Austria. In 2019, about 200 children younger than age 14 and 100 adolescents (aged 15–19 years) were diagnosed with cancer, representing less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses in the country. Leukemia, lymphomas, and central nervous system tumors were most common. About 30 children and 15 adolescents die of cancer each year in Austria. The 5-year survival rates in Austria, for some of the common cancers such as colon, lung, breast, and prostate, are above European Union averages. Free preventive health activities, such as cancer screening and early detection programs, are included in Austria’s health-care system.

Despite wide access to cancer screening programs and declining tobacco use worldwide, behavioral risk factors, particularly smoking and tobacco use, remain high in Austria. The Austrian tobacco control policy is also limited, ranking the lowest in the European Union based on the 2013 Tobacco Control Scale. Furthermore, until 2015, smoking indoors and in outdoor eating areas was permitted, and the price of tobacco is among the lowest in the European Union. Such political and behavioral factors contribute to lung cancer as a major health problem in the country. Like other Central European nations, more than 80% of lung cancers in Austria are directly related to smoking.

Active smoking is by far the most important contributor to the lung cancer burden, accounting for 80 % of lung cancer deaths in men and 50 % of lung cancer deaths of women worldwide [20]. Other important etiologic factors include environmental and occupational exposures, passive smoking, other indoor and outdoor air pollution, and genetic factors. Smoking was more common among Austrian men than women around 1900, but the habit spread quickly among women after then, with especially rising rates in the 1940s and 1950s [5]. Lung cancer incidence and mortality is a serious concern, especially in the female Austrian population, as they remain on the rise.

In 2018, health expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product was more than 10%.3 Per capital health-care spending in Austria is high compared with other countries in the region. Despite high spending and performance standards, systemic issues in the health-care system in Austria remain (such as lack of primary care coordination and aftercare support) and may contribute to negative patient outcomes. For example, Austria has some of the lowest scores in rankings of primary care coordination in the European Union. Some argue this poor coordination is due in part to a lack of clear delineation between primary care and specialist doctors, making access points challenging for patients.

Frequently asked questions