Higher cancer rates for local men than women
Men are more likely to suffer cancer than women, and prostate cancer is now the island’s biggest cause of cancer deaths.
The statistics, incorporating data up to 2020, are revealed in a new report on cancer in the Channel Islands, with information produced by the National Disease Registration Service, a branch of NHS England.
It is the second report published this year as a long-standing reporting lag in cancer data is brought up to date. A further report is expected early next year, including data up to 2022.
Prostate cancer is the top cause of death in the island, ahead of lung cancer, upper gastrointestinal cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer.
The top five cancers by rate are, in order, non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lung cancer.
The report notes that men have a higher incidence of cancer than women.
‘The reason is not fully understood, though it may be due to lifestyle factors, biological differences or willingness to seek care,’ it said.
A third of all local cancer cases occur in individuals aged 75 and over.
But the report also reveals that Guernsey’s cancer statistics are very similar to those of England, the south-west of England and Jersey.
Rates are lower in cases of cancer of the kidney, ureter and uterus, while they are higher for non-melanoma and malignant melanoma skin cancers, and cancers of the head and neck.
An average of 717 malignant cancers were registered in Guernsey each year between 2018 and 2020.
‘We are very pleased to be able to publish updated cancer data for the Bailiwick and continue to draw reassurance from the fact that Guernsey’s rates for the most common cancer types are, in almost all cases, similar to our comparison regions,’ said Jenny Cataroche, head of Public Health Intelligence.
For the first time, this report contains data about cancer staging for four cancer sites – breast, colorectal, lung and malignant melanoma cancers.
‘This means we are able to compare the proportion of these types of cancers that are being detected earlier to those detected later,’ Ms Cataroche said.
‘This is really important from a public health perspective because where cancers can’t be prevented our hope is for them to be detected at an early stage – the staging data shows us where to focus our efforts to achieve that.’
Public Health said that while good progress had been made in reducing the reporting lag for cancer data, it hoped to bring it more up to date to give the most timely and relevant information possible about cancer experience in the population.
