We
are dying of cancer at a much higher rate than our
trans-Tasman neighbours.
A
new study by two Dunedin researchers revealed that New Zealanders
are more likely to die of cancer than Australians.
The Otago University study, published in the New Zealand Medical
Journal, compared trans-Tasman statistics in 1996 and 1997.
It found 831 New Zealanders would not have died if our death
rate was the same as Australia, that is 215 males and 616 females.
The biggest difference was in breast and lung cancers in women
and colorectal cancers in both sexes One in three New Zealanders
will get a major cancer; every year around 16,000 develop cancer
and around 7500 die of cancer every year.
Even more worrying says , Professor David Skeggs of the Department
of preventative and social medicine of the University of Otago
is that our overall cancer patients' survival rates after treatment
was not as good as those of Australian cancer patients.
Although our breast cancer rate is just 1.2 percent higher,
women here are 28 percent more likely to die from it.
The
study says New Zealand women have the sixth highest cancer mortality
rate out of 175 countries, and that New Zealand's position in
a 'league table' of mortality rates has deteriorated in relation
to Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the U.S.A.
The report also shows that the New Zealand disadvantage in survival
appears to be particularly striking among Maori and Pacific
Island men and women . That the incidence of lung cancer is
higher amongst Maori and the factor that should be considered
here is that Maori have the highest rate of smokers with more
of them at risk from the deadlier smoking-related cancers.
However this obviously isn't the whole answer: Skegg's-Mc Credie
study also points out that among non-Maori there are still more
than 533 more cancer deaths. "We don't invest in health in this
country," complains one pathologist, who preferred to remain
anonymous.
"We
don't invest in primary care or prevention. We don't invest
in up-to-date technology like they do in Australia , Europe
and the U.S.A , everyone who works in the health sector is struggling."
"There's
been no emphasis on quality in healthcare, only cost-cutting."
Agrees Dr Peter Dady, the medical director of the Cancer Society.
There is considerable debate and theories as to the primary
reasons .
Is there something wrong with the New Zealand life-style? When
it comes to cancer prevention there are certainly areas in which
we could do better. All the experts say our meat- and- dairy-heavy
diet is too high in animal fat.
Besides
other health issues such as cardiovascular disease, such a diet
of animal fat has also been linked to some cancers.
And by all accounts, while the New Zealanders are happy in the
land of steak and chips and take-away, the Australians are eating
a far more Mediterranean diet-more grains, vegetables, olive
oil, garlic, seafood, fruit and more organic foods and less
meat, butter, cream or lard.
Some
researchers have also found links between the high use of organochloride
pesticides/herbicides, such as DDT, roundup etc with breast
cancer . We should also stay out of the sun more and smoke less.The
latter is especially true for young New Zealand women, who are
taking up smoking at alarming rates.
Is it because we do not have a cancer control strategy and the
Australians do? Yes says Dr Colin Tukuitonga who is the Director
of Public Health at the Ministry of Health and chairman of the
Cancer Control Steering group.
"Countries
that have had a cancer control strategy have made a significant
impact on (mortality rates). We've have cancer as a part of
an overall strategy but we've never focused on it in a comprehensive
and co-ordinated way before."
Dady puts it more forcefully. "Until recently cancer has almost
been swept under the carpet and there's been no co-ordinated
approach. We need to focus on cancer and we need an independent
body to do it."
The article goes on to say no one has the final answer but they
all agree there needs to be some form of national cancer control
programme. The Cancer Control Steering Group is looking at many
issue areas such as cancer prevention, screening, treatments,
rehabilitation and data collection and management.
Each type of cancer needs to be looked at separately. The expert
working parties are expected to report back this year and there
will be consultation with health professionals and the community
at large.
Then, according to Tukuitonga , we can expect a final report
early next year. Professor Gavin says other countries such as
Britain have managed to lower the mortality rates , and so can
we.
He says cancer control involves coordinating prevention education,
treatment and support services.
Story by Cathrin Schaer New Zealand Herald 15 June 2002
also reported IRN 10/5/2002
Statistics
New
Zealand
CANCER
in New Zealand has become the major cause of Death for Women,
accounting for 26 percent of all deaths in 1995 source Statistic
New Zealand and has surpassed Heart Disease as the major cause
of Death.
Although female age-standardised rates are lower than for males,
females rate have increased by 5 percent over the last ten years,
while male rates have dropped 3 percent .
Breast cancer was the leading cause of cancer death for female
in 1995 ( 25.5 deaths per 100,000 population) and although numbers
of deaths have increased by 21 percent over the last decade,
age-standardised rates have increased by only 2 percent.
Since 1986 female lung cancer mortality rates have increased
by 36 percent, from 14.3 deaths per 100,000 population to 19.4
deaths per 100,000 in 1995. Although males are still more likely
to die from lung cancer than females, the gap between the sexes
has narrowed over the last decade.
Males were three times more likely than females to die from
lung cancer in 1986, but only twice as likely in 1995. Women
in the 25-44 age group the leading cause of death is cancer
and 1 in 3 of these deaths are from breast cancer.
Disease of the circulatory system (mainly heart attacks) , also
begin to impact on this age group. Among women in 45 to 64 age
group, over half of deaths are from cancer with breast cancer
being most common.
Disease of circulatory system ( eg ischaemic heart disease),
lung and bowel cancers and diseases of the respiratory system
are other common causes of death. From age 65 years onwards
, circulatory diseases, such as ischaemic disease and strokes
are the major cause of death.
In 1995 half ( 49 percent) of all female deaths in this age
group were from circulatory diseases , while a further 22 precent
were from various types of cancer and 13 percent from respiratory
diseases.
Australia
Australian
Cancer Statistics
The
rise of cancer in 20th-century Australia Adjusted for population
increase, Cancer is up 300% on 1901. It now affects 1 in 3 men
and 1 in 4 women .
New Zealand by International standards, has the most deaths
from Cancer, Japan the least.
*Malignant
neoplasms, standardised rate per 100,000 population .
| Country |
Year
|
Cancers
*
|
| New
Zealand |
1993
|
217
|
| Australia |
1996
|
190
|
| Japan
|
1994
|
165
|
| Canada
|
1995
|
195
|
| Hong
Kong |
1995
|
186
|
| Italy |
1993
|
205
|
| Netherlands
|
1995
|
214
|
| United
States |
1994
|
199
|
| United
Kingdom |
1995
|
214
|
| Sweden
|
1995
|
168
|
United
States of America Cancer Statistics
See below the rising growth of cancer as reported by Samuel
Epstein M.D. Head of Department Toxicology, School of Public
Health, University of Illinois Medical Centre Chicago and founder
of the Cancer Prevention Coalition
www.preventcancer.com
in a document named "Losing the Winnable War Against Cancer"
Escalating
Incidence of Cancer
Over
recent decades, the incidence of cancer has escalated to epidemic
proportions, now striking nearly one in two men (44%) and
over one in three women (38%) in their lifetimes
(1). This increase translates into about 56% more cancer in
men and 22% more cancer in women over the course of a single
generation
(2).
From 1973 to 1999, based on the latest available data, the overall
incidence of cancer rates at all sites, adjusted to reflect
the aging population, has increased by about 24% .
While the overall incidence of lung cancer increased by 30%,
it decreased by 6% in men and increased by 143% in women, reflecting
major changes in their respective smoking practices.
Particularly
striking, however, has been the increase
of predominantly non-smoking cancers, notably:
