Fewer people hit by stroke and colorectal cancer in recent years

Latest govt data also shows colorectal cancer cases reaching a plateau

By Salma Khalik, The Straits Times, 9 May 2012

BETTER treatment, healthier lifestyles, or earlier detection. Whatever the reasons, Singaporeans appear to be pushing back against stroke and colorectal cancer.

Latest numbers from the National Registry of Diseases Office (NRDO) show that cases of these fatal diseases seem to have plateaued or even fallen slightly in recent years.

According to the report on Stroke Trends In Singapore 2005-2010 released last month, 5,743 people had strokes in 2010. This is slightly less than the 5,767 who suffered from strokes in 2009.

But in terms of per 100,000 people, the number who had strokes has fallen from 197 in 2005 to 184.2 in 2010.

Adjusted for age, the drop is even bigger.

As for colorectal cancer, the top cancer here with more than 1,600 people diagnosed every year, cases of the disease 'appeared to have reached a plateau in males and have declined slightly in females in the period 2003-2007', noted the NRDO paper on Trends Of Colorectal Cancer In Singapore. The latest figures till 2010 point to a further decline in colorectal cancer for both men and women.

Deaths from colorectal cancer have also fallen, especially in women.

The two reports offered further insight into the health profiles of those afflicted with the two diseases.

Aside from older people above the age of 65 years, there have also been fewer strokes among women.

In the five-year period, twice the number of men had strokes, compared to women; more than half the men who suffered strokes were smokers.

Other illnesses also appeared to put potential stroke victims at higher risk: four in five stroke patients had high blood pressure and a similar number had high cholesterol levels.

The Stroke Trends report did not state whether control of these diseases reduced a person's chance of getting a stroke. It also did not track whether survivors were able to enjoy a good quality of life.

But a Health Ministry spokesman said that the risk of older Singaporeans getting stroke has decreased, possibly due to better control of such risk factors.

The spokesman added that an American study has suggested that controlling risk factors like high blood pressure may reduce the chances of getting a stroke.

The report said that without these risk factors, the number of stroke cases here would fall even further.

It also named the lack of physical activity as a major contributing factor.

If everyone here exercised, the number of stroke cases would fall by 30 per cent - in other words, there would be about 1,700 fewer stroke patients a year.

Similar lessons were gleaned from the NRDO report on colorectal cancer.

It said that an early diagnosis can better a person's odds of surviving the cancer, noting that unfortunately, most patients here are still diagnosed fairly late.

The Chinese remained the race at highest risk.

When it came to Indians, however, the women were at far higher risk than men; this runs counter to the national trend where men face twice the risk of getting colorectal cancer compared to women.

Dr Charles Tsang, who heads colorectal surgery at the National University Hospital (NUH), attributes the downward trend to better available treatment and greater awareness of the need to screen for this cancer.

He added, however, that the numbers may still go up in the future as Singapore society ages.

'I do not believe the incidence will decrease very much as our local population is ageing, and the majority of colorectal cancer patients are elderly.'