Cancer was detected in 101,500 people last year, an increase of just 0.6% over 2012, the Dutch cancer centre IKNL says.

The number of cancer cases doubled over the past 25 years and the forecast is for the number to rise again by around 3% a year because of the aging population, the IKNL says.

Men are more likely to develop cancer than women, with 52,500 men contracting the disease last year compared with 49,000 women.

Breast cancer is the most common form, followed by skin cancer. Bowel, lung and prostate cancer are also prevalent.

Around half of cancer patients survive thanks to early diagnosis, more effective treatment and the fact some forms of cancer are less prevalent, the IKNL says. This applies particularly to stomach and lung cancer among men.

According to the national statistics agency CBS, 43,741 people died of cancer in 2012, 541 more than in 2011.