Mortality rate for cancer patients at 60%
-survey of 1000 finds
Stabroek News
February 25, 2004
A study of over 1000 cancer patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2003 has shown that six out of ten died from the disease.
The research conducted by the Guyana Cancer Society (GCS) reveals that though there are more recorded cases of cancer in women than men, males are more likely to succumb to the illness. The research was carried out from January 2000 to June 2003 with 1085 cases recorded.
Breast cancer was the most frequent to occur with 15.6%, followed by prostate cancer with 14%, cervical cancer with 12.6%, colon cancer with 6%, stomach cancer with 5.7%, lung cancer with 4.8% and liver cancer with 2.8%. 38.6% are classified as other forms of the disease.
For stomach and colon cancers there was no significant difference between males and females, however for liver cancer men were almost twice as likely to develop the illness than women.
During the period of the research, 60% of the cancer victims died. Prostate cancer was the number one killer with 110 of the 152 men dying; 79 of 169 women died of breast cancer; 56 of the 65 people with colon cancer died; 53 of the 62 with stomach cancer died; and 45 of the 52 patients with lung cancer died.
The highest numbers of cases recorded for prostate cancer were between the age groups of 65-74 with 55 men and 75-84 with 58 men. However, men between the ages of 45-54 years had a 100% fatality rate. Researchers believe that higher cases of the illness were found in men over 65 because of delayed diagnosis.
Women within the age groups of 45-54 and 55-64 had the highest recorded cases of breast cancer but the fatality rate was higher in women 75 and older. Cervical cancer is also prominent. The fatality rate for cervical cancer is highest for women who are 65 and older. There is also a high fatality rate for women who are 25-34 years old.