It has already become the biggest cancer killer of women in Ireland. Now, lung cancer is set to overtake breast cancer as the main cancer killer of women throughout Europe by the middle of this decade.

According to European scientists, an estimated 1.3 million people will die from cancer in the 27 EU countries this year. This represents a small fall in the rate of cancer deaths since 2009.

However, despite this fall, lung cancer deaths among women are on the increase in all countries. In fact, lung cancer deaths have risen among women by 7% since 2009, while breast cancer rates have fallen by around 7% during the same period.

The scientists estimate that almost 89,000 women will die of breast cancer in the EU in 2013, compared to almost 83,000 from lung cancer.

"If these opposite trends in breast and lung cancer rates continue, then in 2015 lung cancer is going to become the first cause of cancer mortality in Europe. This is already true in the UK and Poland, the two countries with the highest rates - 21.2 and 17.5 per 100,000 women respectively," explained one of the scientists, Prof Carlo La Vecchia, of the University of Milan.

The scientists believe the fall in breast cancer deaths are partially due to advances in treatment, better screening and more early diagnoses.

The rise in lung cancer deaths on the other hand may be due to the high number of women who started smoking in the 1960s and 70s.

"Fewer young women nowadays in Europe are smoking and, therefore, deaths from lung cancer may start to level off after 2020 at around 15 per 100,000 women," Prof La Vecchia suggested.

The scientists reached their conclusion after carrying out a study of cancer rates in all 27 EU countries and then focusing on six - the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland. Details of their findings are published in the journal, Annals of Oncology.