People living in the North of England have a 20 per cent higher chance of dying from cancer than those living elsewhere, according to new evidence underlining stark divides in the nation's health.

Deaths due to various forms of cancer are significantly higher in the North, a major report concludes today, with higher rates of smoking, unhealthy lifestyles and poverty likely to be at the root of the problem.

There were, on average, 380 cases of cancer — and 182.3 deaths — for every 100,000 people in England, the latest figures show.

But the mortality rate was much higher in the North, rising to 215.9 deaths per 100,000 in Merseyside and parts of Cheshire, while a large swath of the country, from Manchester to the Scottish border, also reported above-average death rates.

Overall, deaths from cancer were lowest in the South of England and the Midlands, figures from 30 regions showed.

The figures are from the first report of the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), a new body commissioned last year to collate information on 20 different forms of cancer.

The incidence of many forms of the disease was found to be higher in the South of England, suggesting that it is diagnosed early as a result of patients attending screening tests or picking up warning signs more regularly.

Ministers have recently extended a target to reduce the “postcode lottery” of health inequalities in England by 10 per cent within two years, as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at birth.

But while the UK overall is enjoying longer life expectancy and lower cancer mortality, the North of England still suffers poorer health than the South “in almost all cases”, the Government's Health Profile of England, concluded last year.

Experts believe this North-South divide is due to a number of factors, especially higher smoking rates in the North, which are linked to increased risks of smoking-related cancers.

For example, 68 per 100,000 men in the North of England died from lung cancer in 2005, compared with the England average of 51. The Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire area had the lowest rate of deaths from lung cancer, with about 36 men in every 100,000 dying from the disease.

When differences in regional populations were taken into account, the risk of dying from any form of cancer was a fifth greater in the North than elsewhere.

While lung cancer remains the biggest killer among cancers in men across England, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in each of the 30 regions was prostate cancer.

An average of 97 men in every 100,000 were found to be suffering from it in 2005 compared with 60 for lung cancer, but there were no clear geographic patterns in the incidence of prostate cancer.

In women, breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer, with the South having the highest rates. But the highest mortality rates in women varied across the country, with lung cancer deaths more common in the North and breast cancer in the South.

Mike Richards, the Government's national cancer director, said that certain differences could be caused by varying levels of prosperity.

“In the north of the country, even though breast cancer rates of women are high, more women die of lung cancer. That's a reflection of higher levels of smoking in more deprived areas,” he said.

“It goes in an opposite direction with breast cancer. Affluent women often tend to delay childbirth, and having children older may slightly increase the risk of the disease.

“Furthermore, an increasing proportion of breast cancer is being detected through screening. There is some evidence that women in more affluent areas are more likely to attend screenings.”

David Forman, of the University of Leeds, an information and analysis leader for the NCIN, said: “These figures show us that some of the past trends aren't changing - cancer death rates remain higher in the North than the rest of England.

“Smoking is responsible for nearly nine in ten cases of lung cancer. More people in the North smoke, and this explains why lung cancer rates are so much higher.

“There are also higher levels of deprivation in the North, which could contribute to cancer risk through other means — we know that deprivation is linked to later diagnosis, which can affect mortality.”

The emergence of prostate cancer as the most common cancer in men, could be due to a general decline in smoking rates and more men asking their doctor for a prostate specific antigen test to spot the early signs, Professor Forman added.

Life in a cold climate

— Cold causes blood vessels close to the skin surface to contract, reducing blood flow to the extremities and trapping heat in the body’s essential core

— Cold makes nerve cells, which transmit information from the brain to the rest of the body, slow down, making it harder to perform simple manual tasks such as tying a shoelace

— Low temperatures also impair pain receptors, making people less able to notice and react to injuries

— Goose pimples occur when tiny muscles connected to the hairs on the skin tense up, trapping an insulating layer of air beneath them

— In extreme cold the body tries to generate its own heat by making muscles contract and expand rapidly — shivering. This can raise body heat production fivefold

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