'Stop wasting billions trying to cure cancer, it's the best way to die,' says former BMJ editor

Richard Smith says cancer gives patients a chance to reflect on life and say their goodbyes. Credit: BMJ

Cancer is the best way to die, according to a former editor of The British Medical Journal.

Richard Smith, who is chairman of the board of directors of medical smartphone app Patients Know Best, believes the opportunity to reflect on life before it ends is important.

In an article published in The BMJ, the 62-year-old wrote that while most people tell him they would prefer a sudden death, he thinks that is very hard on the families of the deceased.

He went on:

More than 160,000 people died from cancer in Britain in 2012, according to Cancer Research UK, who say lung cancer was the most common killer.