Cancer is a major public health problem both globally and locally. In Hong Kong, the burden of cancer has been increasing along with the growing and ageing population. In 2022, the Hong Kong Cancer Registry recorded more than 35 000 new cancer cases. Cancer is also the top killer in Hong Kong with nearly 15 000 registered deaths attributed to cancer in 2023.
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region attaches great importance to cancer prevention and control and set up the Cancer Coordinating Committee (CCC), chaired by the Secretary for Health, in 2001 to steer the direction of work and advise on the strategies for cancer prevention and control in Hong Kong. In 2002, the Cancer Expert Working Group on Cancer Prevention and Screening (CEWG) was set up under the CCC to review local and international scientific evidence, and formulate local recommendations on cancer prevention and screening. The CEWG has so far formulated local recommendations on prevention and screening of 11 common cancers in Hong Kong (namely cervical, colorectal, breast, prostate, lung, liver, nasopharyngeal, thyroid, ovarian, pancreatic and stomach cancers).
In July 2019, the Government launched the Hong Kong Cancer Strategy with a view to reducing the cancer burden of the local population and improving the quality of life and survivorship of cancer patients, through identifying service gaps and setting strategic priorities and direction for the possible stages throughout a patient's complex journey, from prevention and screening, early detection and diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, to palliative care.
According to the World Health Organization, between 30 and 50% of cancers can be prevented by avoiding risk factors and implementing existing evidence-based prevention strategies. To reduce the burden of cancer, the Government advocates healthy lifestyle (such as refraining from smoking and alcohol consumption, being physically active, having a balanced diet, and maintaining a healthy body weight and waist circumference) as a primary prevention strategy and adopts an evidence-based approach in the implementation of cancer screening programmes. This presentation will provide an overview of cancer prevention and screening in Hong Kong including the screening programmes that have been implemented for cervical cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer.
