THE main types of cancer leading to overall cancer mortality in Brunei are: lung, breast, endometrium, cervix and thyroid cancer. According to the most recent statistics in the cancer registry, in 2006 there were 270 cases of cancer in Brunei.

This was highlighted at the cancer exhibition held yesterday at The Mall, Gadong. Breast cancer dominated the cancer cases among women while cervical cancer was the second most common cancer among women and also the most easily treated out of all cancers if it’s diagnosed early enough or while still in pre-cancer stage.

In terms of sex distribution, 120 were male and 150 were female cancer patients. Cancer is considered to be
a leading cause of death worldwide. From a total of 58 million deaths worldwide in 2004 cancer accounted for 7.4 million or about 13 per cent of all deaths. Topping the list was lung with 1.3 million deaths annually, stomach (803,000 deaths), colorectal (639,000), liver (610,000) and breast cancer with 519,000 deaths.
Also highlighted in the exhibition held on the first floor of The Mall were facts and figures about diabetes, obesity and being overweight and how Brunei fared in the region.

In terms of obesity, Bruneian men were among the most overweight and made up the most obese population in Asean where 33.8 per cent of males were overweight and 31.3 per cent of females were overweight. 12.8 per cent of Bruneian women were obese compared to 11.2 per cent of men.

In Malaysia, 21.4 per cent of women were overweight and 20.1 per cent of men were also overweight. On the other hand, 7.6 per cent of women were obese, while 1.4 per cent of men were obese. These were according to the statistics 12 years ago. As for diabetes, there were some 18,000 diabetic patients in Brunei compared to 1.53 million in Thailand, 8.4 million (Indonesia), 942,000 (Malaysia), 2.77 million (Philippines) and 328,000 in Singapore, based on the statistics 10 years ago.

“Cancer can be prevented through exercising, proper diet and non-smoking, besides reducing exposure to sunlight and industrial chemicals.

“Tobacco is still the main factor and there is a surge of cancer cases among non-smokers (those who are exposed to smoke as passive smokers). We’ve got to save our children. Smokers who smoke 20 years ago are now paying the price.

“The main challenge facing Brunei is its people. If people don’t come to the hospital, there’s nothing we can do. Social responsibility and education are crucial. We need to re-educate people. If they come at a late stage, there is nothing that we can do. One proposal is to have a general screening,” special oncologist Dr. Hj Mohd Syafiq said recently to the Weekend Bulletin.

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