30 - 40 year-old-women at twice more risk of developing cancer than men

Women, who are in their late 30s and early 40s, are twice as likely to suffer from cancer as their male counterparts, according to official data.

Cancer rates were higher than expected for both the sexes in the north of England.

According to experts, the high cases of cancer among the 35-44 year-old women is because of breast cancer, while common cancers in male tend to strike later.

Office for National Statistics' released 2011 figures show that breast cancer is most common cancer among women contributing to 30.7 percent of new cases, and affecting 42,000, ahead of lung (11.6 percent) and colorectal (11.2 percent).

The figures also showed that elderly men have higher rates of cancer as compared to elderly women.

The official data showed that men aged 65-69 have 37 percent more risk of contracting the disease than women of same age, with that figure raising to 63 percent among over-85s.

Nick Ormiston-Smith, statistical information manager at Cancer Research UK, told the Independent that even though women are likelier to get breast cancer when they are older, some younger women still acquire it.

He said that still men are likelier to acquire cancer than women across all ages and a person is about 14 percent likelier to develop cancer at some point if the person is a man.