During a Press Conference held on Monday, October 17th, 2016, TCI Hospital released the latest cancer statistics in an effort to educate residents on various cancers, encourage cancer screenings and healthier lifestyles. According to the latest cancer statistics collated by the Oncology Department, 259 persons have been diagnosed with cancer to date. At least 3-4 new patients are being diagnosed with cancer every month in Turks and Caicos Islands. Breast, Prostate and Colorectal are the most common cancers. Below is a general overview of the latest cancer data.

Breakdown by Island of Residence:
Provo – 183 (71%)
Grand Turk and Salt Cay – 45 (17%)
South Caicos – 18 (7%)
North/Middle Caicos – 13 (5%)

Breakdown by Gender:
Male – 119 (46%)
Female – 140 (54%)
*Marginal difference in such small numbers
Breakdown by Nationality:
TCI – 193 (75% of total number)
Jamaica and Haiti combined – 35 (14%)
*The remaining 11% or 31 is made up of approx 10 nationalities
Main disease site (% of total number on Cancer Register):
Breast Cancer – 28% or 72 cases to date
Prostate Cancer – 21% or 54 cases to date
• Combined Breast and Prostate cases account for half of all cancer cancers in the TCI
Colorectal – 11% or 17 cases to date

Others cancers:
Gynae cancers (Endometrium, Cervix and Ovarian) – 8% (although not reliable as not all Gynae data is referred to the Hospital Oncology Department)
The remaining 32% cases is a combination of many other different cancers including:
Brain, Lung, Kidney, Skin, Pancreas, plus Haematology cancers such as Lymphoma, Leukemia and Myeloma.

BREAKDOWN OF ALL CANCERS DIAGNOSED BY YEAR

The number of new patients diagnosed with cancer on an annual basis has relatively fluctuated; however, the three predominant cancers have remained consistent for the past three years.
In 2014, 38 patients were diagnosed with cancer – mostly Breast, followed by Prostate then Colorectal.
By 2015, the number of new patients diagnosed with cancer increased to 52. Prostate accounted for the largest percentage of these cases, followed by Breast and Colorectal Cancer.
In 2016, 39 patients have been diagnosed with cancer to date. The TCI Hospital Cancer Registry currently shows Breast and Prostate Cancer equal in predominance, followed by Colorectal Cancer thus far.
Other cancers outlined in the general overview section above are equally emphasized and monitored, as these cancers are even more aggressive in many cases. A minimum of 10 years of cancer data is needed to gauge trends in cancer sites and predict future trends. TCI Hospital only opened in 2010 and commenced the Hospital Cancer Registry in Jan 2014, however, a number of cancer cases were already in the hospital database.
Meanwhile, the Oncology Department has provided some general observations related to the top three cancers based on the data collated thus far.
BREAST CANCER STATS
• Breast – 33 to 73yrs
• There are two very apparent peak age brackets for diagnosis which are ages 40-49 and 60-69
• Unsure of family history in many cases as people prefer to keep their medical issues private, however, we are starting build patterns of patients related to one another which may help determine high risk families for the future.
PROSTATE CANCER STATS
• Prostate – 50 to 85yrs
• Large increase in numbers from 60-79 – considered a ‘high risk’ age group in TCI with current data.

COLORECTAL CANCER STATS
• Colorectal – 30 to 78yrs
• Numbers appear to increase between 50 to 69yrs however with such small numbers trends cannot be detected as yet as there is very little difference between 10yr age brackets.

GYNAE CANCER STATS (ovarian, cervix and endometrium)
• No patterns in ages currently
• Over time doctors may find that cervical cancer, for instance, is mostly occurring in younger females, however, the data currently shows widespread diagnostic ages for all Gynae diagnoses.

Persons are encouraged to practice proper dieting, exercise often, refrain from smoking and schedule regular cancer screenings as early detection can save lives.

The Cancer Interview Panel comprised of Dr. Roy McGregor – IHC Visiting Urologist, Dr. Phillip Burgess – IHC General Surgeon, Gemma Williams – IHC Oncologist Nurse, Nora Tyndall – Care and Treatment Nurse, Ministry of Health and Rosemary Jolly – National Cancer Society, President. The Press Conference was chaired by IHC PR & Marketing Manager, Nikira John.