A CANCER specialist has said that Islanders must play their part in combating the high rates of the disease that continue to be recorded in Jersey.
Reducing risk factors and attending screening appointments were cited by consultant oncologist Dr Elizabet Gomes Dos Santos as key factors helping achieve more effective treatment for cancer.
Latest data included in the Channel Cancer Report, published yesterday, showed Jersey with a significantly higher incidence of four of the top-ten most common cancers – head and neck, non-melanoma skin, malignant melanoma and breast – compared to the south-west of England and England as a whole.
Dr Gomes Dos Santos said that around 30% of cancers were considered preventable, and that there were key factors contributing to those areas where Jersey’s incidence rates were noticeably higher.
“Smoking is responsible for 72% of lung cancer cases, and with head and neck cancers there is a direct relation with smoking and excessive alcohol consumption,” she said. “The skin cancer figures are a factor of the outdoor lifestyle in Jersey – people like to spend time at the beach, but that brings an increased risk.”
Important steps recommended by the oncology consultant include stopping smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, and taking more exercise and measures to combat the harmful effects of the sun. She also highlighted the long-term benefits for all Islanders of having the HPV vaccine offered to both male and female teenagers.
Early diagnosis was an important element of treating those with cancer, Dr Gomes Dos Santos added.
“We must aim to minimise risk factors wherever possible, but equally important is enhancing screening and early detection capabilities,” she said.
“I encourage everyone who is eligible for any of our screening services to book an appointment as soon as possible – attending screenings regularly mean we can diagnose earlier and treat better.”
Not only did early diagnosis give clinicians a far greater chance of successfully treating cancer in their patients, Dr Gomes Dos Santos said, but it also reduced the financial burden on the Health budget through limiting the cost of more advanced treatment for later-stage cancers.
The report also shows that deaths from head and neck cancers remain far higher in Jersey compared with England and the south-west region. Around 15 people in Jersey die from this type of cancer every year, compared with (per 100,000 people) six in SW England and seven across the whole of England.
Dr Gomes Dos Santos said the fact that Jersey’s head and neck mortality rates were so much higher was likely to be a result of the treatment required for such cancers. The treatment was quite “aggressive”, she said, typically requiring off-Island travel for prolonged spells of radiotherapy, which some Islanders – especially those who are older – feel unable to embark on.
The latest report includes data from 2019 and 2020 and forms part of a “catch-up” exercise by Public Health after some statistical analysis was postponed during the Covid pandemic. Dr Gomes Dos Santos said such reports meant clinicians were “better equipped to tailor interventions effectively”.
