Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and the incidence is rising. The overall five year survival is 19% for all lung cancers and 4.5% for lung cancer with metastases[i]. The cancer mortality rate in South Africa was reported as 69/100 000 deaths in 2014, with lung cancer being the leading cause of cancer deaths[ii]. The true incidence of lung cancer in South Africa is unknown. The National Cancer Registry (NCR) reported Age Standardised Incidence Rate of 3.95/100 000 for women and 10.12 for men is likely to be underreporting the true incidence due to the late presentation of patients who do not receive a histological diagnosis. In-house Cancer registry data reveal that the mortality rate of 22 per 100,000 is double the pathology reported incidence of the NCR.
Africa, Jhb DRC, NCDs, Primary health care, Research
Patients at high risk of having lung cancer in Johannesburg
