Deep Dive delves into hot issues in Hong Kong and mainland China. Our easy-to-read articles provide context to grasp what’s happening, while our questions help you craft informed responses. Check sample answers at the end of the page.
News
When Hong Kong began modern cancer tracking in 1983, it recorded 15,000 new cases. The disease’s death rate was also far higher than it is today. After 40 years, the number of cases has risen to nearly 38,000 – yet the risk of dying from the disease has nearly halved.
In 1983, the city’s age-standardised cancer death rate was 136.7 per 100,000 people. By 2023, it had fallen to 71.1. But according to the latest official data, cancer was still the city’s top killer in 2023, taking nearly 15,000 lives.
Still, Hong Kong’s death rate is one of the lowest in developed economies. The average cancer mortality rates in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries were 191 deaths per 100,000 people. According to the latest data, Japan had a rate of 174, and South Korea’s rate was 150.
Experts said Hong Kong’s low death rate is thanks to the city’s access to some of the best treatments and drugs. But they said the city must invest more in early prevention and screening to truly lead in the battle with cancer. They said Hong Kong’s next step should be “stage migration”. This involves finding cancer earlier to give people a better chance at survival. It would also reduce healthcare costs.
Professor Tony Mok Shu-kam is the chairman of the clinical oncology department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“When you are not dying from war or tuberculosis and when cardiovascular events are prevented, the only thing you’re going to get is cancer,” he said.
“When our median age for females reaches 88, and that for males 82, we will inevitably see more cancer cases ... so it is not as worrying as some suggest.”
Hong Kong issued its first Cancer Strategy in 2019. It aimed to improve patients’ quality of life and reduce the local burden and mortality by 2025. Key areas include improving cancer screening and reducing tobacco and alcohol use.
Officials said they would evaluate the strategy’s success using data from the 2025-26 population health survey, to be conducted by the end of this year.
Mok said global survival rates improved because of advances in treatments, which the city’s patients could access. Thus, diagnosing at a late stage is not always hopeless for patients.
He added that by finding specific markers in patients’ genes, doctors could use special therapies to help them live longer.
For example, some lung cancer patients have the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. They now have a median survival of almost four years. Those with the Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) marker can live nearly seven years with targeted therapies.
Staff writers
Question prompts
1. Which of the following statements is false, according to the information in News?
(1) Compared with the 1980s, the number of cancer cases and deaths in Hong Kong has doubled in recent years.
(2) The cancer mortality rates of Japan and South Korea are lower than the average among OECD nations.
(3) The Hong Kong Cancer Strategy, launched in 2019 by the government, only focused on enhancing cancer screening and lowering tobacco and alcohol use.
(4) The city’s cancer survival rate can be improved when doctors examine patients’ genetic markers.
A. (1), (2) only
B. (1), (3) only
C. (2), (4) only
D. (3), (4) only
2. Why is Tony Mok not too concerned about the rise in Hong Kong’s cancer cases?
3. How does Hong Kong’s cancer mortality rate compare to other places? Identify the factors that explain this data.
Graph
Question prompts
1. Using the chart, note TWO observations about the number of cancer cases and deaths.
2. What is the type of cancer that is most common in Hong Kong? Using information in News and Glossary, explain ONE way that Hong Kong is addressing this.
Glossary
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age-standardised: adjusting data, such as the actual cancer death rate, in one place or time so that it can be compared with another place or time that does not have the same proportions of people in different age groups. This is because age can be a key risk factor for cancer and many other diseases.
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Cancer Strategy: Hong Kong’s first holistic plan in 2019 to reduce the local cancer burden. It created goals for prevention, early diagnosis, population-level screening, advanced treatment and support for survivors.
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tobacco and alcohol use: tobacco use accounts for 25 per cent of all cancer deaths around the world and is a main cause of lung cancer, while alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including bowel cancer and breast cancer
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median survival: the time when half of the patients are still alive, and half have died
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stage migration: a change in the proportion of patients in different stages of cancer. Doctors use stages to identify how much cancer has spread in a patient.
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universal screening: a public health strategy where an entire population group is tested for a specific disease or condition, regardless of whether individuals have any symptoms, risk factors or family history
Sample answers
News
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B
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It is because he said that it would be expected when people live longer because they will be dying of war, tuberculosis or cardiovascular events.
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Hong Kong has a low cancer mortality rate compared to other countries. Specifically, Hong Kong’s age-standardised cancer death rate stood at 71.1 per 100,000 people in 2023, while Japan and South Korea recorded rates of 174 and 150, respectively. Multiple factors contribute to Hong Kong’s low cancer mortality rate, including widespread access to healthcare, world-class drugs and treatments, as well as structured cancer screenings. In the Cancer Strategy framework issued by the government in 2019, it targeted improved screening to reduce mortality. In addition, Hong Kong hospitals provide access to targeted therapy, allowing doctors to use these advanced treatments to extend survival chances. For example, News highlights that the median survival for Hong Kong lung cancer patients with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation has been extended to almost four years, while those with the Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) marker can live for nearly seven years when treated with advanced targeted therapies.
Graph
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Data shows that total cancer cases in Hong Kong reached 37,953 in 2023, while total cancer deaths recorded at that time stood at 14,867. Based on this, we can observe that cancer mortality rates do not always reflect cancer incidence rates. For example, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in Hong Kong with 5,603 cases, yet its mortality rate ranks fifth among all cancer types. (accept all reasonable answers)
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Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in Hong Kong. The city is targeting the prevention of lung cancer by reducing tobacco use, which was laid out in Hong Kong’s Cancer Strategy launched in 2019. According to Glossary, globally, tobacco use accounts for 25 per cent of all cancer deaths and serves as the leading cause of lung cancer. Minimising tobacco use can lower the prevalence of smoking and second-hand smoke exposure, ultimately helping to prevent lung cancer.
