HK's latest cancer rankings: Lung cancer tops list for 5th year, kills most

The Hospital Authority's Hong Kong Cancer Registry has announced the latest rankings for the most common cancers. Lung cancer has ranked as the number one most common cancer in Hong Kong for the fifth consecutive year, with 6,111 new cases reported in 2023. Cancer is also the leading cause of death in Hong Kong. So, which cancer is the most fatal? And what foods can help prevent lung cancer?

Lung Cancer Takes Top Spot for 5th Consecutive Year

According to the latest statistics from the Hong Kong Cancer Registry, there were 37,953 new cancer cases in Hong Kong in 2023. This represents an increase of 7 percent (2,580 cases) compared to 2022, returning to pre-pandemic levels. On average, 104 new cancer cases were diagnosed daily in Hong Kong, comprising 19,297 cases in women and 18,656 cases in men.

Top 10 Most Common Cancers in Hong Kong (2023)

1. Lung Cancer (New cases: 6,111)
2. Breast Cancer (New cases: 5,603)
3. Colorectal Cancer (New cases: 5,467)
4. Prostate Cancer (New cases: 3,031)
5. Liver Cancer (New cases: 1,700)
6. Uterine Corpus Cancer (New cases: 1,306)
7. Stomach Cancer (New cases: 1,284)
8. Thyroid Cancer (New cases: 1,267)
9. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (New cases: 1,245)
10. Non-melanoma Skin Cancer (New cases: 1,087)

The center noted that since 2020, the number of women diagnosed with cancer has surpassed that of men. Breast cancer, including 18 cases in males, overtook colorectal cancer for the second consecutive year to become the second most common cancer. Compared to a decade ago, the number of new cancer cases has surged by over 31%.

Over the past decade, the cancers with the largest increases in new cases were prostate cancer and breast cancer, rising by nearly 83 percent and 58 percent respectively. In contrast, new cases of liver cancer decreased by 8.2 percent.

Cancer Kills Over 14,000 Hongkongers Annually

Regarding mortality, the center reported that 14,867 people died from cancer in Hong Kong in 2023, accounting for 26.2 percent of all deaths in the city. Over half of these cancer deaths were men. Oesophageal cancer replaced ovarian and peritoneal cancer as the 10th most fatal cancer.

The ranking of the top three deadliest cancers remained unchanged: lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer. Death tolls from pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer saw significant increases. However, the number of lung cancer deaths saw no significant increase, while liver cancer deaths fell by 7.6 percent.

Although the absolute number of cancer deaths continues to rise due to population growth and aging, after adjusting for the influence of the population's age structure, the overall age-standardised cancer mortality rate has shown a declining trend over the past decade. It has significantly decreased by 2.8 percent annually for men and 1.7 percent annually for women, indicating positive outcomes from Hong Kong's healthcare system in combating cancer.

Rise in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer – Is Cancer Affecting Younger People?

The Center stated that in 2023, there were about 4,500 cases of early-onset cancer, which include ages 25-49, accounting for 12 percent of all cancers. Among these, there were 3,269 cases in women, breast cancer being the most common with 1,308 cases. 

For men in this age group, there were 1,230 cases, with colorectal cancer being the most common, followed by nasopharyngeal cancer. Thyroid cancer incidence is rising fastest among young women. While the incidence of colorectal cancer is rising among young adults, it has been declining in middle-aged individuals since 2017. Incidence rates for both liver cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer are declining in both young and middle-aged adults.

The Center clarified that cancer is not trending younger. The median age at cancer diagnosis has remained stable since 2000, staying between 65 and 67 years. Although the incidence of some early-onset cancers has increased, most of these cancers have also seen increases in the 50-74 age group.