Urological malignancy in Hong Kong: the trend and the practice

Abstract

In Hong Kong, urological malignancy accounted for 9.55% of all the new cases of cancer in 2012. In the male population, prostate cancer was the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, and the fifth leading cause of cancer death. Age-standardized rate of prostate cancer incidence rose from 11.5 per 100 000 men in 1992 to 28.5 per 100 000 men in 2012. On the other hand, age-standardized rate of bladder cancer incidence dropped from 6.4 per 100 000 in 2003 to 3.0 per 100 000 in 2012. The incidence of kidney cancer remained stable in recent years, with an age-standardized rate of 4.8 per 100 000 in 2012. The introduction of the robotic surgical system has made robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy the most common mode of surgical treatment for prostate cancer in Hong Kong. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy and robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy have been gaining popularity in the locality. Minimal-invasive surgical techniques as well as different systemic therapies have led to revolutionary changes in the urology community in Hong Kong. The existing territory-wide surveillance of cancer incidence and mortality trends continue to provide us with clues to aetiology and the effects of improved diagnostic and treatment techniques.