Long lives need not mean more cancer

An oncologist has expressed surprise at the estimated doubling of cancer rates in Malta by 2030, especially as this is mainly attributed to a rise in longevity, which is unlikely to increase that much more by then.

People have to take responsibility for their lives and their health and do what needs to be done

“How much longer can we live? The average life expectancy is already 80 plus,” said oncologist Stephen Brincat, pointing out that increased longevity has been the major cause of the growth in cancer over the years.

The World Cancer Research Fund recently ranked Malta in fourth position for an increase in the illness rates over the next 18 years.

Among the 27 EU member states – calculated using WHO estimates for new cancer cases in 2030 – Ireland is on top, with a 72 per cent rise, followed by Cyprus (55 per cent), Luxembourg (53 per cent) and Malta (49 per cent).

The figures do not take into account how well the disease is recorded, the use of screening programmes and changes in lifestyle habits.

But Dr Brincat, chairman of Mater Dei Hospital’s Department of Oncology, is not alarmed.

Much can be done in terms of pre­vention to “really depress” the estimated 49 per cent increase in incidence, he believes.

“The emphasis in public health has to be in areas where we know we can prevent it,” he maintained.

“We cannot alter cancers that start from increased age, without shortening life expectancy... but we can certainly lower cancer rates produced by behaviour, such as obesity, excessive alcohol and lack of exercise, smoking and HPV infection.

“Living longer is generally a good thing but all the rest is not. So we have to look at what is preventable.” Action in this regard, however, has to be taken on an individual level and not on the part of the government, Dr Brincat believes.

“People have to take responsibility for their lives and their health and do what needs to be done. That is more important than statistics,” he said.

“Everyone knows by now that smoking causes a variety of cancers, so it is not a question of lack of education.

“But if you look at the incidence of smoking among the young, it is not going down, and neither is obesity.

“It is well-known that obesity is not good for health, so how much more can one push that?”

Everyone can choose how to live their lives, but it seems the Maltese are “not doing too well” on that front, despite the fact that information is widely available nowadays.

Over the last 20 years, Malta has experienced an increase of close to 10 per cent in cancer rates, Dr Brincat said.

The country was seeing a marked increase in female lung cancer and cancer of the cervix.

Screening will also lead to an increase, though much of it was artificial, he said, in that patients, who would not have been troubled by the condition, were being diagnosed.

Dr Brincat was referring in particular to prostate cancer, which has also increased, although “a good bit of it is unfortunately artificial”.

Being a disease of elderly men, they are likely to get it if they live longer, but their lives would not have been affected by it had they not ended up being treated unnecessarily.