CANCER SCOURGE

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 395, 31 March 1937, Page 7

CANCER SCOURGE

CAMPAIGN AGAINST DISEASE. Steady Progress in Australia. Canberra, March 23. I Preliminary surveys of the cancer position in Australia, as revealed by the work of the past year, indicate a , steady progress in the campaign against the disease. Reports, which will be submitted to the Australasian Cancer Conference, which is to begin in Canberra on April 13, will be the most encouraging since the annual review system was inaugurated eight years ago. Although, on the figures to be submitted to the conference, there is an apparent increase of about 50 per cent, in the cancer mortality in Australia compared with 25 years ago, an official analysis proves conclusively that there has been no real increase in the incidence of cancer in that period. It was explained to-day that the apparent rise in the mortality rate was due to the more accurate diagnosis of the cause of death of aged versons, and also the rapid increase in the percentage of persons embraced by the old-age group of the population. Those Over 60. Cancer mortality per thousand of population in 1910 was .71 for males and .72 for females, an average of .72 for the whole population. This had increased in 1935 to 1.08 for males and 1.04 for females, an average of 1.06. This increase, however, cannot be assumed as applying to all individual age groups of the population. Since 1910 there has been a great change in the age distribution, owing to the falling birth rate and to the increasing loingevity. Both of these factors have worked in the same direction, until at present there is a considerably-increased percentage in the population of persons more than 60 years of age. The increase in this age group has been between 40 and 50 per cent., which corresponds very closely with the increase in the rate of can’cer mortality.

Age Groups. In the lower age groups there has been practically no change in the rate of cancer-mortality. The death rate per thousand in 1910 of persons under 30 was .04 for males and .03 for females, and in 1935 the figures were precisely the same. In the age group between 30 years and 59 years the death rate in 1910 was .89 for males and 1.12 for females.. The male rate in 1935 had decreased to .78 and the female rate was unchanged. Amongst persons over 60 years of age, the male death rate in 1910 was 6.69. This in 1935 had increased to 8.08, but the female death rate of 5.86 remained unchanged. An analysis of the figures in the age group over 60 years shows that there has been no increase for males under 70 years, and for females there has been no increase under 75 years and only a very slight one above that age. A comparison of the figures shows that per thousand of the population, 60 years and over, in 1910, 14.12 males and 11.93 females, an average of 13.09, were shown as having died from old age. In 1935 the corresponding figures were 4.33 males and 4.29 females, an average of 4.31.