Cancer trends and risk factors in Cyprus

Abstract

Cyprus, a European Union member state, is a small island in the Mediterranean with a population approaching 900,000 people. Cancer is the second leading cause of death; more therapeutic options for any patient with the disease are available in a central oncology centre in the capital of the island (Nicosia) and fewer therapeutic options (e.g. chemotherapy and hormone therapy only) in a few other public hospitals. Palliative care is offered in several hospices and hospitals, although the field needs improvement. With regards to screening, a national breast cancer screening programme has been in place countrywide since 2007 and is offered free of charge to women between the ages of 50 and 69 years, while colorectal and prostate cancer screening is performed on an individual basis (a pilot programme for colorectal cancer screening was recently initiated). Genetic testing is available for breast and colon cancer. To improve understanding of the causes of cancer in the country, a cancer research centre was established in 2010 (Mediterranean Centre for Cancer Research). Recent epidemiologic work has revealed increasing cancer trends in Cyprus; prostate cancer is the most common in men and breast cancer is the most common in women. Interestingly, thyroid cancer incidence in women has been rising from 1998 to 2008. Cancer of the colon and rectum is also on the rise affecting both sexes. Overall, cancer incidence in Cyprus is lower than other EuroMed countries with similar lifestyle and geography.

Keywords: cancer; cancer incidence; cyprus; risk factors.

Figure 1:. (A) Map showing the geographic location of Cyprus within the Mediterranean Sea. The map was generated using ArcGIS Explorer Online (http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/explorer-online) Used by permission. Copyright © 2013 Esri and its data providers. All rights reserved. (B) Map showing the five districts of Cyprus. The map was created using ESRI’s ArcMap 10.2 (Redlands, CA), and Turkish occupied boundary was identified using the 2010 Statistical codes of municipalities, communities, and quarters of Cyprus. The population figures are from the 2011 Cyprus Census.

Figure 2:. Comparison of the two most common causes of death in Cyprus (2004–2011). Data was obtained from the report for deaths and causes of death of the Cyprus MOH [4].

Figure 3:. Smoking Prevalence in Cyprus in different years. Surveys were conducted in 1989, 1997, 2003, and 2008.

Figure 4:. Increasing incidence of all cancers in males and females from 1998 to 2008. Data was obtained from the cancer reports of the Cyprus MOH. Note that data for 2001 and 2002 was not available in these reports.

Figure 5:. Crude and world age-standardised rates of the five most common cancer types in males and females in Cyprus (2008).