Breast Cancer

Just found this interesting information...

A retrospective study of the Tumour Registry of PNG from 1958 to 1988, found the incidence of breast cancer in the country was 2.4 cases per 100,000 women, and in the same time period in NSW, Australia, the incidence rate was 64.9 cases per 100,000 women.

Now, according to the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) , it reported that new information released by the PNG Department of Health, statistics show that from 2000-2004 the incidence of breast cancer in women in the 15-44 age group had risen from 8.49 per 100,000 in 2000 to 46.54 in 2004.

Why has the number of women who have breast cancer gone up in a relativity short time?

The IRIN news report on their webiste had this to say:

"A report by the PNG Health Department's technical adviser for lifestyle disease, Thomas Vinit, has revealed significant increases in cases of cancer, particularly among females. He said lifestyle habits were a major contributing factor, including smoking (lung, mouth, breast, cervical and uterine cancer), chewing betel nut (mouth cancer), not breast-feeding (breast cancer), illegal abortions (cervical and uterine cancer), multiple sexual partners (cervical cancer), obesity (breast, uterine and ovarian cancer) and heavy drinking (liver cancer)."

Sources
IRIN story: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81396

Breast cancer increases on Papua New Guinea, Bob Kuska
Journal of the National Cancer Institute; Jun 16, 1999; 91, 12; Academic Research Library pg. 994