Different races, different cancers
THE Singapore Cancer Registry report highlights some of the different cancers and how the risk rates vary among the three ethnic groups in Singapore.
OVARIAN CANCER: One of the few cancers for which Malays have a higher risk than Chinese – on average, 10 per cent to 20 per cent higher than for Chinese.
PROSTATE CANCER: Indian men appear to be at much lower risk than the Chinese. However, over time, all ethnic groups have seen a rise in rates. Prostate cancer is now the third most common cancer among Malay and Indian men, after lung and colorectal cancer.
NON-HODGKIN’S LYMPHOMA: This cancer of the lymphoid tissue, which includes the lymph nodes, spleen and other organs of the immune system, is one of a few for which Malays have significantly higher risk – 30 per cent to 50 per cent higher – than the Chinese. Indians have the lowest risk, but small numbers make comparisons
difficult.
MOUTH CANCER: The incidence among Indians in Singapore is higher than the other ethnic groups, especially among females. Researchers have linked this to betel nut and tobacco chewing. But as these habits become less common, the number of such cases has dropped.
BREAST CANCER: Malay and Indian women are about 20 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer than Chinese women. Two major risk factors for breast cancer are low fertility and the use of hormone
replacement therapy.
COLON CANCER: The risk of Malays and Indians contracting this type of cancer is only between 30 per cent and 50 per cent that of the Chinese.
LUNG CANCER: Indians in Singapore have the lowest risk of contracting lung cancer – only 20 per cent to 40 per cent the risk of their Chinese counterparts. Malays fall somewhere in between Indians and Chinese, probably a reflection of the higher number of smokers among the Malays.
