Cancer is the third leading cause of death in the Philippines

A total of 426,054 deaths were recorded in the Philippines in 2005. Said number is 5.7 percent higher compared to 403,191 deaths recorded in 2004.

Out of 426,054 deaths recorded in 2005, 77,060 (18.1 percent) were reportedly caused by diseases of the heart and 45,037(10.6 percent) were due to cerebrovascular diseases.

There were 41,697 (9.8 percent) records that stated that malignant neoplasm or more commonly known as "cancer" as the reason for death. This makes cancer as the third leading cause of death in the country in 2005.

More males than females die of cancer

Out of 41,697 cancer deaths reported in 2005, 21,993 (52.7 percent) were males and 19,704 (47.3 percent) were females. Thus, the sex ratio of cancer death is 111.6.

The 2005 figures is 1,173 (2.9 percent higher) than the 40,524 cancer deaths reported in 2004.

Cancer of trachea, bronchus and lung on top of list, leukemia on 4th place

One in every six person who died of cancer was diagnosed to have developed malignant neoplasm of the trachea, bronchus. For three consecutive years (2003-2005), cancer of this type remains to be on top.

In 2005, there were 7,215 (17.3 percent) deaths reported to have been due to cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung. Said number is lower by 0.35 percent than the 7,240 cases reported in 2004. Deaths of this type of cancer in men decreased to 5,373 cases in 2005 from 5,446 cases a year earlier.

Breast cancer which is responsible for 4,480 deaths (10.7 percent) is on second place followed by colon cancer (2,657 or 6.4 percent) on third. Deaths caused by leukemia or blood cancer in both the male and female sexes decreased to 2,398 cases (5.8 percent) in 2005 from 2,460 cases in 2004. Thus, leukemia, which used to rank as the third killer cancer in the Philippines in 2004, is on fourth place in 2005.

Malignant Neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung is common among men, Malignant Neoplasm of the breast is the number one killer cancer among women

The three most common sites of cancer among men where in the trachea, bronchus and lung (24.4 percent); prostrate (8.2 percent); and, colon (6.4 percent). The combined share of these sites to the total number of males who died due to cancer is about 39.0 percent. Prostrate cancer accounted for 1,808 deaths in men and not a single case in women.

On the other hand, the three most common cancer sites among women were in the breast (22.4 percent); trachea, bronchus and lung (9.3 percent); and, uterus (6.4 percent). The combined cases reported in these areas in 2005 accounted for about 38.2 percent of the total number of female deaths caused by cancer. Deaths among women caused by breast cancer alone totaled to 4,415 in 2005 and with only 65 cases reported among men.

Most cancer fatalities belong to age group 65-69

The highest number of deaths caused by cancer was at age group 65-69. The total fatalities of the said age group numbered to 5,019 or 12.0 percent of the total cancer deaths reported in 2005 of which 2,908 (57.94 percent) were males and 2,111 (42.06%) were females.

Median age at death due to cancer is at 63.3 years old

The median age at death due to cancer in all sites in 2005 was at 63.3 years old.

However, the median age at death due to cancer disaggregated by sex were 63.1 years old for males and 63.7 years old for females.

More than half of those with breast cancer die at age 50 and older

More than half (2,909 or 64.8 percent) of breast cancer fatalities in 2005 was 50 years old or older

There were only five reported deaths caused by breast cancer that occurred at age below 20 years old.

Death due to prostrate cancer is higher for older men

The possibility of the male population to die due to malignant neoplasm of prostrate increased as they age.

In 2005, only one death due to prostate cancer occurred below the age of 20. At age 20-44, deaths due to this type of cancer increased to 25 cases. The number of casualties more than doubled (65 cases) at ages 45-54. The remaining fatalities of prostrate cancer totaling 1,717 (94.97percent) in all happened at age 55 and above.

Child mortality at ages 15-19 due to malignant neoplasm increases, deaths caused by cancer among teenager decreases

The number of deaths among children ages 15-19 due to cancer increased to 502 (15.7 percent) in 2005 from 434 in 2004.

On the contrary, the number of casualties caused by cancer of all types among children ages 5-9 went down to 361 in 2005 from 497 in 2004 or a decrease of 9.1 percent.

From 2004-2005, the biggest increased on the number of deaths in all cancer sites occurred on teenagers or at age group 15-19 with 15.7% old while biggest decreased was at age group 5-9 with an increased of 9.1 percent from the previous year.

One in every four cancer deaths occurs on children 14 years old and below

One in every four cases of deaths caused by leukemia occurred on children under 1 to 14 year of age. This comprised of 621 casualties or 25.9 percent of the total leukemia deaths. Moreover, the highest count of 209 cases of deaths among children due to blood cancer falls on age group 5-9 years old.

Median age at death because of leukemia for both sexes was at 35.3 years old

Median age at death due to leukemia was 35.3 years old. However, sex- disaggregated median age at death for male and female were at teenage years 32.1 and 38.6 years old, respectively.

Almost two-thirds of cancer fatalities lacks medical attention

Only 14,570 (34.9 percent) cancer patients were medically attended prior to death. The remaining 27,127 (65.1 percent) patients eventually die without medical attention.

Only two types of cancer were reported to have been attended by more than 50 percent. These were the malignant neoplasm of placenta (79.4%) and leukemia (50.7%).

On the other hand, deaths caused by malignant neoplasm of the bone and articular cartilage (16.5%); uterus (17.6%); skin (17.6%); and lip, oral cavity and pharynx (22.4%) were the cancer types that were reported to have been given less medical attention.

(Sgd.) CARMELITA N. ERICTA
Administrator           

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