Closing the gap: cancer in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Abstract

The health transformation that took place after the Second World War in Europe was significantly delayed in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries compared to countries of Northern Europe and Great Britain. However, as death rates from cardiovascular disease have begun to fall, cancer has emerged, since the 1990s, as the most common cause of death among young and middle-aged adult women (20-64 years old) in these countries. In the coming decade it seems likely to be the leading cause of death among young and middle-aged adult men.