What we know about cancer in Hong Kong and how government plans to tackle rising number of cases
- Common cancers in Hong Kong, contributing factors to developing disease, and plans for prevention and care services explained
Cancer is seen as a growing health threat both locally and internationally. In Hong Kong, the annual number of new cases of the disease is expected to rise by about 30 to 40 per cent in 2030 compared with 2016 figures, according to the Hong Kong Cancer Registry, which collects and analyses data on all cases in the city. Hong Kong saw a record 31,468 new cases diagnosed in 2016, an increase of 3.8 per cent from the previous year. Here is what we know about the No 1 killer in Hong Kong and how the city is tackling the disease.
What are the most common cancers in Hong Kong?
According to statistics for 2016, the latest available, the top three cancers were colorectal, lung and breast, contributing to almost half of the new cases. Among men, colorectal cancer surpassed lung cancer for the first time as the most common type. For Hong Kong women, breast cancer has been the most common type since 1993.
For 2006-16, the number of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer rose 79 per cent while breast cancer cases increased 59 per cent, making them the two types with the largest increase.
The three deadliest cancers were lung, colorectal and liver, accounting for more than half of the 14,209 cancer deaths in 2016.