Kent men diagnosed with the key cancers have around a one in three chance of survival, compared with a 50/50 chance for girls.

According to the latest figures for cancer death rates in the county, around 382 cases of cancer in males were reported in one year – and 206 proved to be fatal.

There were around 340 cases in women, but less than half died from the disease.

But despite the chilling figures, Kent is doing well when it comes to surviving the disease compared to the rest of the country.

A national study by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) revealed Kent and Medway has some of the lowest rates of lung and bowel cancer, and no significantly high rates for other forms of the illness.

An NCIN spokeswoman said: “You can probably gather from these figures that fewer people smoke in Kent than other areas – the North (of England) has the worst figures for lung cancer because of the amount of smoking in the region.”

Breast and prostate cancer rates are about average in Kent, with neither very high nor very low rates, possibly due a drop-off in smoking and the vast demographic difference between certain parts of Kent.

The spokeswoman added: “You find there are more cases of breast cancer in affluent areas because there are more women having fewer children and later in life, which is recognised as one risk factor.

“Prostate cancer has taken over lung as the number one cancer in men, partly due to the drop-off in smokers, but also because of increased awareness of the disease, which means more people are getting checked early.”

The North has the UK’s highest death rates from lung cancer due to the large proportion of people who smoke, and nearly double the number of stomach cancer cases in the south.

The south west had the highest number of fatal breast cancer cases.

The number of cancer cases/deaths per 100,000 in Kent and Medway for the top four reported cancers, in 2005.