RISING levels of obesity among women have helped fuel a 33 per cent increase in womb cancer rates in the past decade, according to Cancer Research UK’s latest statistics.

Stoneclough resident, Kath Bebbington, was diagnosed with womb cancer at the end of 2013 and is now encouraging other women to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Ten years ago, around 21 women in every 100,000 in the North West developed the disease. That figure has now climbed to 28 women in every 100,000 in the region – with obesity being the most likely culprit.

Kath, aged 56, was diagnosed after going to the doctor because she was bleeding between periods. She had a hysterectomy in March, 2014 and kick-started her healthy lifestyle after she finished treatment – since then she’s lost three stone.

Kath said: "My cancer diagnosis was a wake-up call for me. It was a shock because I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and I walk a lot.

“And we don’t know what caused the cancer but I had to admit to myself that I needed to make some lifestyle changes to lose some extra pounds I had been carrying and stack the odds in my favour for a healthy future.

“So I began eating more healthy food and exercising to feel better and to be a role model for my daughters. I also trained to take part in Race for Life events which I’ve done with my daughters by my side.”

Symptoms of womb cancer include abnormal vaginal bleeding – particularly in post-menopausal women – blood in your pee and abdominal pain. The disease is usually diagnosed early, and most women can be cured by surgery.

Jane Bullock, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the North West, said: “The good news is that thanks to research and improved treatments survival has improved.

“In the 1970s, almost six in 10 women diagnosed with womb cancer survived for at least 10 years, now almost eight in 10 women survive.

“But we need more research to understand the biology of the disease better and to know more about how it is caused so that we can improve the treatment of these women as well as preventing more cases.”

Around 960 women are diagnosed with womb cancer every year in the North West and around 210 die from the disease.

Ten years ago, there were around 670 new cases of womb cancer each year and around 180 women died from the disease. Almost 57 per cent women in the North West are overweight or obese.

Professor Jonathan Ledermann, director of the Cancer Research UK and UCL Cancer Trials Centre, said: “It’s worrying that womb cancer cases are going up so sharply. We don’t know all the reasons why.

“But we do know that about a third of cases are linked to being overweight so it’s no surprise to see the increases in womb cancer cases echo rising obesity levels.”

The science behind how extra weight can cause cancer is not completely clear. But there is evidence that extra fat in the body can raise cancer risk by producing hormones and growth factors that encourage cells to divide.