FAQ |
1. What is current status of Hong Kong Cancer Registry?
The Hong Kong Cancer Registry, population-based, is a member of the International Association of Cancer Registries (IACR). Our main objective is to compile and report the incidence rates of cancer in the Territory. We collect basic demographic data, information on the anatomical site (topography) and histopathology (morphology). Staging and survival information are also included in recent years. Analysis of this information reveals the change in cancer distribution patterns in Hong Kong over time. It provides a framework for comparative geographical, epidemiological and clinical research.
2. How accurate is the data in the Registry? Is it reliable and complete?
Pursuit for excellence is always our goal. Quality control measures have been established to check the accuracy and validity of the data through computer programmes. The percentage of histologically verified cases (MV%), death certificate only cases (DCO%) and mortality/incidence ratio (M/I) are key performance indicators of data completeness. Over the years we have achieved a high standard in these quality indices (Figure). The cancer data will not be published until case reporting is estimated to be almost complete. Very often the last few percent of cases are the hardest to finish.
3. What is the quality of the Hong Kong Cancer Registry data?
Ideally the MV% should be 100% and DCO% zero. In our case the MV% has improved significantly from 55% in 1983 to 87% in 2009. The DCO% was 13.3% in 1983 and dropped to just 0.7% in 2009. This is already up to the highest IACR standard for developed countries.
4. Where can I find the cancer rates of Hong Kong?
The Hong Kong Cancer Registry provides cancer incidence and mortality data in the Territory. Yearly report was first published in 1989 and electronic publications were available for download since 1998. Earlier data from 1973 to 1988 are available in table form. These reports are available on request and also our web site in the Publications area.
5. Are cancer incidence rates in Hong Kong coming up?
Cancer has emerged as a major health problem in most developed countries. In Hong Kong, the total number of new cancer patients was almost tripled from 8,900 in mid-70's to about 26,000 in 2009. The crude incidence rate rose substantially over the same period from 198 to 370 per 100,000 persons. It is projected that new cases will further increase due to an ageing and increasing population.
6. What are the common cancers?
The ten leading sites in descending order are cancers of the lung, colorectum, breast, liver, prostate, stomach, nasopharynx, non-melanoma skin, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and corpus uteri. Together they account for nearly 75% of all registered new cases.
7. What are the trends of cancer incidence?
The incidence trends of nasopharyngeal cancer, oesophageal cancer, stomach cancer and cervix cancer showed significant drop. Typical cancers in developed countries, like female breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and corpus cancer are on the rise. Changes in the trend of the following sites are also significant in recent years: laryngeal cancer in male is decreasing, while prostate, corpus and ovarian cancer are increasing. These trends may be attributable to economic upturn and lifestyle influences in the past few decades.
8. Why is there a lag period of reporting number of new cases?
As the Hong Kong Cancer Registry is population-based, we have to collect information on patient's demographics, anatomical site, histopathology and stage of every cancer case in Hong Kong. Each year we collect over 300,000 separate entries of raw cancer data and notifications from all sources. Most of these entries are duplicates as information on a particular case may continue to emerge over several months or a year after its first appearance; and the same patient may appear in reports from multiple sources simultaneously. Thus all these entries must be consolidated and sifted manually in order to come up with the most accurate diagnosis for individual patient. In view of the wide variety of information like clinical notes, operative records, pathological or radiological reports; as well as the huge volume of raw data, there is inherently a time lag of a few years before the release of the incident figures. This is actually a common phenomenon in cancer registries all over the world. Epidemiologically, cancer is a chronic disease, hence both the incidence and mortality rates should evolve steadily over a long time period. Over the past years, with the aid of computer technology, we have been able to shorten the reporting lag time to 22 months, given the strict adherence to the quality control procedures depicted by the International Agency of Cancer Registries (IACR) of WHO, of which the Hong Kong Cancer Registry is a full Member since 1974. In considering the present given resources, and the lack of a compulsory notification mechanism by law, our output is indeed very fast and cost-effective. After all, data quality is our goal.
9. Where can I find other cancer supporting institutions in Hong Kong?
Other cancer support institutions in Hong Kong can be found in the Related Links area of this web site.