Report On Incidence Of Cancer Of Lung In N.Z.

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28534, 13 March 1958, Page 7

Report On Incidence Of Cancer Of Lung In N.Z.

(New Zealand Pri

?ss Association)

WELLINGTON, March 12. Not one factor, such as cigarette smoking, but a combination of factors may be responsible for the increase of cancer of the lung and bronchus, says the 1958 report on cancer to be published soon by the Medical Statistics Branch of the Department of Health. It deals With information gathered over the last 10 years by the branch. The dramatic increase in the incidence of, and mortality from, cancer of the lung and bronchus, a world-wide phenomenon of the last 20 years, has not been quite so spectacular in New Zealand as in some other countries, says the report. Nevertheless, the increase in this country has been steady, with 286 lung and bronchus cancer deaths of males in 1955, compared with 36 in 1936. The disease has been linked with cigarette smoking, atmospheric pollution, and certain occupational hazards, the report says. There are undoubtedly indications that the incidence is higher in proportion among the population living within urban areas, and some of the more highly industrialised countries tend to show higher mortality rates. Immigrants from Britain showed a higher death-rate from lung cancer than persons born in New Zealand of the same stock. The difference was greater in those who came here at a later age than in those who came to this country when younger. The hypothesis is that immigrants are affected by their former environment, the report says. Cancer of the lung among women is still uncommon in New

Zealand. As it would be logical to expect the same relationship between lung cancer and smoking habits in women as in men, this is probably explained by there being very few women over 50 who have been heavy smokers for a considerable time. Most New Zealand women, in the ages at which lung cancer has the highest incidence among them, are non-smokers and have always been non-smokers. Very few of the heavy smokers, even, have been smoking for long.

The Medical Statistics Branch expects that, in the absence of any factor at present unknown, the incidence and mortality among New Zealand women will not start to rise appreciably for 10 to 20 years at least.