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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1983
STATISTICS ARE COMPILED PRIMARILY FROM GENERAL DECLARATIONS SUBMITTED TO THE MARINE DEPARTMENT BY SHIP MASTERS OR SHIPPING AGENTS, AND FROM CARGO MANIFESTS SUPPLIED BY SHIPPING COMPANIES OR AGENTS TO THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
A 20 PER CENT SAMPLE OF ALL CONSIGNMENTS LISTED IN THE MANIFESTS IS USED FOR COMPILING PORT AND CARGO STATISTICS. HOWEVER, THE SHIPPING STATISTICS COVER ALL OCEAN-GOING VESSELS ENTERING AND LEAVING HONG KONG, EXCLUDING YACHTS AND PLEASURE CRAFT, ON A FULL ENUMERATION BASIS.
MORE DETAILS ARE CONTAINED IN THE HONG KONG SHIPPING STATISTICS+ QUARTERLY REPORT FOR APRIL TO JUNE 1983, NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AT $12 A COPY.
GOOD PROGRESS IN FIGHT AGAINST CANCER ****
TWO OF THE MOST PREVALENT CANCERS IN HONG KONG HAVE VERY HIGH SURVIVAL RATES, THE DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, DR K.L. THONG, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE HONG KONG ANTI-CANCER SOCIETY, HE SAID THAT HIS DEPARTMENT NOW HAS TESTS FOR DETECTING THE TWO DISEASES - UTERINE CERVICAL AND NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA IN THEIR VERY EARLY STAGES, THUS PROMISING EVEN HIGHER CURE RATES WITH TREATMENT.
+FOR THE FORMER, THE FIVE-YEAR SURVIVAL RATE IS ABOUT 90 PER CENT FOR EARLY DISEASE AND THAT FOR THE LATTER 80 PER CENT, DR THONG SAID.
+FOR TREATMENT FAILURES THERE ARE NOW ADEQUATE METHODS TO PREVENT THE PAIN THAT ACCOMPANIES THE TERMINAL STAGE OF CANCER, AND THERE IS NO MORE DISTRESS ACCOMPANYING IT THAN THAT ACCOMPANYING OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES.
+THUS, ALTHOUGH CANCER IS OUR LEADING HEALTH PROBLEM THE PICTURE IS MUCH MORE ROSIER THAN WHEN THE SOCIETY WAS FOUNDED TWO DECADES AGO, DR THONG SAID.
FORTY YEARS AGO, HE SAID, CANCER WAS THOUGHT TO BE A DEGENERATIVE DISEASE AND WAS REGARDED AS THE NATURAL CONSEQUENCE OF THE AGEING PROCESS.
+AS A RESULT OF THE GRADUAL ACCUMULATION OF EVIDENCE, CLIMAXED BY THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES THAT IMPLICATED CIGARETTE SMOKING AS A CAUSE OF LUNG CANCER, A MAJOR CONCEPTUAL CHANGE REGARDING THE NATURE OF CANCER OCCURRED, WHICH HAS PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS.
+WE BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND THAT MANY CANCERS MAY BE PREVENTABLE, AND, INDEED, THE SPECIALIST ON THE SUBJECT NOW THINKS THAT ABOUT 80 PER CENT OF THEM ARE PREVENTABLE, DR THONG SAID.
FURTHERMORE, HE ADDED, JUST A DECADE AGO, THE WHISPER OF THE WORD +CANCER+ EVOKED FEAR AND DESPAIR, AS IT WAS ALMOST SYNONYMOUS WITH AN INEVITABLE DEATH SENTENCE.
+MOST OF US NOW KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS ALIVE AND WELL WITH CANCER WHICH HAS BEEN CURED, HE SAID.
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