The number of cancer cases diagnosed in Belgium last year was the highest in a decade, according to the Belgian Cancer Registry (BCR). A total of 78,416 Belgians were diagnosed with cancer in 2023, Het Laatste Nieuws reports.
A separate report late last year by the Institute for Sustainable Development noted that the number of cancer diagnoses in Belgium has risen by 21% between 2004 and 2022.
The BCR was formed in partnership between Belgium's federal and regional governments; it has been recording data on cancer diagnoses for Flanders since 1999, and since 2004 for the whole of Belgium.
According to 2022 figures, prostate cancer was identified as the most prevalent form of cancer in Belgium, accounting for 12,700 new cases. It has overtaken breast cancer, which accounted for upwards of 11,000 diagnoses in 2022.
Combined, the two forms of cancer account for nearly a third of all diagnoses across the country, with lung and colon cancers also prevalent.
The BCR noted that although the number of reported cancer cases is on the rise, so is the survival rate. Presently, seven in ten cancer patients are alive five years following their diagnosis, compared to 60% a decade ago. Among women in Belgium, survival rates are nearing 80%.
