The Straits Times - Feb 1, 2012 (Page A10) | Women have better cancer survival rate than men | Local study says death rates down, survival rates improved overall | By Melissa Pang
FEMALE cancer patients have better survival rates than male patients, a local study has found.
While overall survival rates improved for both genders, women have a 52.8 per cent chance of survival, compared to 40.7 per cent for men.
The study - Singapore Cancer Trends In The Last Decade- also found that mortality rates have gone down for men and women sufferers, and that colorectal and breast cancers are the most common cancers respectively.
Published in the latest edition of the Singapore Medical Journal last month, the study looked at data from the Singapore Cancer Registry from 1998 to 2009.
Figures in the study were age-standardised, meaning the influence of age was eliminated. The data was analysed based on a standard population in terms of age structure, to take away the fact that cancer risks increase with age.
The study noted that males generally had a greater percentage of advanced cancers than females, with improvements in survival observed among cancers in the early stage or with a favourable prognosis.
Dr Wong Seng Weng, medical director and medical oncologist of Singapore Medical Group's The Cancer Centre, said the type of cancer and genetics could explain women's better survival chances.
Breast cancer, for example, is easier to screen for and more responsive to treatment.
The objective of the study, said principal researcher Lim Gek Hsiang, was to examine and summarise cancer trends in the last decade to allow for comparisons with other countries, in terms of incidence and survival.
'It also allowed us to reflect on the cancer strategies in terms of prevention and treatment, which helped to achieve the results seen now,' said the biostatistician from the Health Promotion Board's (HPB) National Registry of Diseases Office.
The research team included Dr Chow Khuan Yew, deputy director of HPB's National Registry of Diseases Office, and Professor Lee Hin Peng of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University Health System.
In terms of cancer deaths, lung cancer was the most common cause among all Singaporean male residents between 2005 and 2009, followed by colorectal and liver cancers.
In the same period, breast cancer was the most common cause of cancer deaths among Singaporean female residents, followed by lung and colorectal cancers.
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Singapore, accounting for 29.3 per cent of deaths in 2009, up from 27.7 per cent in 2007.
Overall, researchers noted that cancer incidence rates have remained stable.
Dr Rebecca Dent, consultant medical oncologist at National Cancer Centre Singapore, said the changes are likely due to a combination of factors such as an increasing awareness and implementation of vaccination programmes, early detection and treatment, and policies promoting a healthy diet and exercise.
National University Cancer Institute Singapore's Dr Robert Lim, a senior consultant in the department of haematology-oncology, said: 'The study suggests that we are making some headway, though we are far from achieving the targets for breast and colorectal screening. It should help offer encouragement that more people should have the recommended and appropriate screening tests done for their age and gender.'
Last year, the Government liberalised the use of Medisave to screen for colorectal and breast cancers.
Dr Wong said the burden of cancer will go up because of an ageing population and increased life expectancy.
He said: 'The situation will deteriorate as more will die from cancer. Resources will have to be put aside to tackle the epidemic. That is the price to pay for living longer.'
melpang@sph.com.sg
A SNAPSHOT, attached
Incidence rates
WHILE age-standardised incidence rates for cancer were fairly stable among males from 1998 to 2009, females experienced a slight increase in the same period.
The three most common cancers affecting women were breast, colorectal and lung.
Breast cancer incidence went up across all age groups, while colorectal cancer was on the decline for those aged 65 and below.
The age-standardised incidence rate for breast cancer among females was 55.4 per 100,000 persons between 1998 and 2002, and went up to 60 per 100,000 persons from 2005 to 2009.
Breast cancer mortality also overtook that of lung cancer among women.
Among men, the most common cancers were colorectal, lung and prostate.
Prostate cancer incidence rose in the last five years to overtake liver cancer as the third-most frequent cancer.
The age-standardised incidence rate of prostate cancer was 17.7 per 100,000 persons from 1998 to 2002, increasing to 26.7 per 100,000 persons between 2005 and 2009.
Overall mortality rates declined for both men and women.
Between 2005 and 2009, the age-standardised mortality rate for men was 117.8 per 100,000 persons, compared with 76.8 per 100,000 persons for women.
