TWO thirds of cancer diagnoses in the Western Division are among women.
Consultant with a special interest in oncology, Lalit Kumar, revealed the findings during the Fiji Medical Association mini-conference, based on data from the 2023 clinical year at Lautoka Hospital.
Dr Kumar said approximately 351 histologically confirmed cancer cases were recorded over the 12-month period, with women accounting for 67 per cent of cases and men 33 per cent.
“Roughly two-thirds of all diagnoses are women-related, specifically involving the breast, cervix and endometrium,” he said.
He added that on average, one cancer case was diagnosed per day at Lautoka Hospital, with around 60 per cent of those cases involving women.
Data presented showed breast cancer remained the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in 2023, with more than 60 cases, followed by cervical and endometrial cancers.
While reproductive and gender-specific cancers dominate, Dr Kumar said other forms of cancer were also increasing.
“Although prostate cancer remains a key concern among men, gastrointestinal cancers collectively pose a larger threat.
“If you look at the whole picture, GI cancers are bigger than prostate and other things. It’s just that we tend to group them separately by organ.”
An ethnic breakdown of the data showed that iTaukei patients made up 53 per cent of diagnosed cases, Indo-Fijians 45 per cent, and other ethnicity making up the remaining 2 per cent.
Dr Kumar said Fijians sought cancer treatment abroad mainly due to limited diagnostic and treatment resources locally, rather than a lack of medical expertise.
