New cancer cases in Hong Kong rising at fastest rate for about 10 years as health experts warn of strain on city’s health care system

Hong Kong saw 33,075 new cancer cases in 2017, a year-on-year rise of 5.1 per cent, the highest increase in about 10 years.

The latest statistics, released by the Hong Kong Cancer Registry on Wednesday, showed the biggest jump in cases among all types of the disease was for prostate cancer.

Dr Wong Kam-hung, director of the registry, which is under the Hospital Authority, said the increase in overall new cancer cases could place a further strain on the city’s health care system.

“The 5.1 per cent increase is considered a high figure and could bring a heavy burden to society,” Wong said.

He said better awareness among the public could have partly attributed to the rise.

“There are now more diagnostic methods that are also more accurate … and people now tend to see a doctor earlier when they feel unwell. These could lead to the increase in cases over the past few years,” he said, adding that the ageing population was also a major factor in explaining the rise.

The previous highest increase in new cases was in 2009, when there was a 5.4 per cent rise in the number of newly diagnosed patients compared with the previous year.

Cancer is the biggest killer in Hong Kong, and claimed 14,446 lives last year, or about one-third of all deaths in the city.

With the number of new cases estimated to grow to 42,000 in 2035, the government in July launched the Hong Kong Cancer Strategy, the first comprehensive plan for prevention and control of the disease in the city.

The five most commonly diagnosed cancers in 2017 were colorectal, lung, breast, prostate and liver, accounting for about 58 per cent of new cases that year.

Colorectal cancer remains the most common type among men, and breast cancer is still the leading one among women.

But prostate cancer, which affects men only, saw a 17.2 per cent increase in cases, the highest among all types. The number of cases rose from 1,912 in 2016 to 2,240 the following year.

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Wong, who described such an increase as “alarming”, said figures for a few more years would be needed to determine the causes of the rise, as the disease had shown an upwards trend over the past two decades.

“If the rate drops for the following year, [what we saw in 2017] could be seasonal and there is no need to worry too much,” he said.

More colorectal cancer cases were also detected among people aged between 65 and 69, rising from 207 in every 100,000 people from 2012 to 2016, to 254 in 2017. Wong said the rise could be related to a colorectal cancer screening pilot scheme launched by the Department of Health in September 2016.

Dr Angus Leung Kwong-chuen, a clinical oncologist and council member of the Hong Kong Prostate Foundation, said the leap in prostate cancer cases could be down to a few factors – higher awareness of getting a screening test, the ageing population and greater prevalence of a less healthy lifestyle.

“Consumption of more red meat and fats but less fibre, as well as lack of exercise and having central obesity, are all high risk factors for prostate cancer,” Leung said.