For example, while total cancer mortality for men in the EU overall was about 166 per 100,000 - it ranged between 195 and 269 per 100,000 in CEE countries. For women, cancer mortality in the EU was 95 per 100,000 but ranged between 100 and 138 per 100,000 in CEE countries. Higher rates were seen for most cancer sites, but especially lung, stomach, intestinal and liver cancers as well as lymphomas and leukemias, among others. For women, stomach and cervical cancer rates were higher in CEE countries than in the EU overall. The incidence of cervical cancer, for example, is decreasing in Western Europe, but the rates are still high in many parts of Eastern Europe.

Inadequate health prevention measures, including delay in early diagnosis and use of innovative treatments and lack of quality care, may account for differences in survival. In addition, public education and awareness campaigns around cancer and its prevention are fragmented or relatively rare.

Many of these differences in rates also are the result of recognizable and potentially avoidable causes including tobacco, alcohol, dietary habits, pollution, hepatitis B, as well as inadequate screening, diagnosis and treatment.

The Bristol-Myer Squibb Foundation recognizes the need to address those health disparities in cancer prevention and treatment and is developing and working to support programs that can better address these disparities by building health care capacity and support at the community level in Europe. These programs are focused in several areas, including enhancing psychosocial support for oncology patients and their families and expanding training and awareness.