From the WHO: Cancer Control in the Asia Pacific Region

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22661171

Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2012 Jun 1. [Epub ahead of print]

Cancer Control in the Asia Pacific Region: Current Status and Concerns.

Shin HR, Carlos MC, Varghese C.

Source

1Noncommunicable Disease and Health Promotion, Western Pacific Regional Office, World Health Organization, Manila.

Abstract

Cancer is becoming an increasingly important health problem in the low- and middle-income countries in the Asia Pacific region, as well as in high-income countries because of ageing populations and changes in lifestyle associated with economic development and epidemiologic transition. This paper reviews the cancer burden and control in the Asia Pacific region (limited to East Asia, South Eastern Asia and Pacific Islands countries and areas), with relevant information primarily extracted from the GLOBOCAN 2008, Cancer Incidence in Five Continents series and WHO websites. Most low- and middle-income countries have a cancer control strategy and/or an action plan; however, coverage of cancer registration is still very low and does not meet the international standard in terms of quality. Therefore, only limited data were available for the recent global estimation of cancer burden. Large variations, in both cancer incidence and mortality, were observed in the populations in the different sub-regions of Asia. The most common cancer in males is lung cancer in the Eastern and South Eastern sub-regions, while prostate cancer comes close to lung cancer in the Pacific Island countries. In females, breast cancer is the most common in all three regions. The predominance of lung, stomach, colorectal, prostate, breast and cervical cancers makes cancer control more amenable in the Asia Pacific region. Up-to-date statistics on cancer occurrence and outcome are essential for the planning and evaluation of cancer control programmes. Priority can be given to population-based cancerregistration, risk reduction, especially tobacco control, and primary health care based enhancement of health care systems to diagnose and manage cancer specifically in low- and middle-income countries.