‘Silent killer’: the race to beat cancer in Hong Kong

Wellness series By KaKuen LauKaKuen LauInfographic Designer, Joe LoJoe LoDesigner and Connor Mycroft Last updated: May 31, 2026Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Hong Kong for decades. It is responsible for about one-quarter of all deaths in the city, and is often dubbed a “silent killer” owing to some of the forms of the disease showing next to no symptoms before late-stage diagnoses. But the situation in Hong Kong is shifting. Demographic and lifestyle changes have resulted in the rise of annual cancer diagnoses consistently outpacing the general population growth. Since 2020, more women than men are being diagnosed with cancer annually. cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer is becoming increasingly prevalent among younger demographics. Beneath these alarming trends, however, lie hopeful undercurrents. The government and local universities have been actively battling the rising cancer burden. Advances in early detection, new screening initiatives, and overall increased public awareness are helping more Hongkongers survive the disease. While more Hongkongers are diagnosed with cancer than the global average, fewer are dying from it, too. So how has the prevalence and severity of cancer changed over time? What trends are emerging in how it’s detected and treated? Here is what you need to know about cancer in Hong Kong. cancer diagnosis breakdown Between 2004 and 2023, the latest year available, the number of annual cancer diagnoses shot up by 68 per cent – from 22,525 to 37,953. On average, that meant about 104 Hongkongers were told they had cancer each day in 2023. That year also marked a 7 per cent increase in new diagnoses over the previous year. A breakdown by cancer type and gender showed that cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer was by far the most prevalent form among women, with the 5,585 cases diagnosed in 2023, making up 28.9 per cent of all female cases. Lung and cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="137617" data-entity-type="topic">Colorectal cancer were the second and third most prevalent forms among women, at 13.1 per cent and 11.9 per cent, respectively. For men, cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="133357" data-entity-type="topic">lung cancer was the most common, with 3,576 cases. It made up 19.2 per cent of all male diagnoses, followed by colorectal at 17 per cent, and prostate at 16.2 per cent. Top 5 most common forms of cancer among men and women in 2023 For decades, cancer cases in men outpaced those in women. But that changed in 2020, and since then more women than men have been diagnosed. In 2023, there were 19,297 female cases compared with 18,656 male cases. However, when adjusted for population size, men are still more likely to be diagnosed. Annual number of new cases of diagnosed cancer from 2004 to 2023 By gender Among the whole population, the median age for cancer diagnosis is 67 – a figure that has remained largely stable over the last decade even as some cancers have become more prevalent among younger groups. The median age for men is 69, while the figure is 64 for women.Median age for cancer diagnosis cancer mortalities cancer has been the leading cause of death in Hong Kong for years. According to the Centre for Health Protection, cancer killed 14,867 Hongkongers in 2023, accounting for about 26 per cent of all deaths in the city that year and beating out other lethal diseases such as pneumonia and heart disease. Overall, the deadliest cancers in 2023 were lung, colorectal, liver, pancreas and breast, which altogether accounted for about 63 per cent of cancer deaths that year. While cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="133357" data-entity-type="topic">lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer deaths, its share of total fatalities has declined over time. In 2023, it was responsible for about 26 per cent of all cancer deaths, down from 30 per cent in 2004. At the same time, cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="137617" data-entity-type="topic">Colorectal cancer deaths have become more prevalent, leading to 15 per cent of cancer deaths in 2023 compared with 13 per cent in 2004. Among the top five deadly cancers, the total number of deaths from cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer has increased the most over the last 20 years – climbing by 149 per cent from 368 in 2004 to 918 in 2023. cancer deaths by type, 2004 to 2023 How cancer is changing While the city’s ageing population has played a role in the general rise in cancer cases, the rate of new diagnosis has actually outpaced population growth in recent years. Other factors that have been identified as contributing to the increase in incidence rates include changing lifestyles – such as obesity, lack of exercise and alcohol consumption – as well as improved diagnostics to detect the disease. New cancer cases have been outpacing population growth Average annualised increasein cancer cases vs populationgrowth, 2013-2023 Note: Percentages are expressed as annualised averagePart of what is driving the increase in women is a surge in cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer, particularly among younger women. Data from the cancer registry showed that from 2013 to 2023, the overall increase in all female cancers was 37.6 per cent, but the number of cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer among women rose by 58.5 per cent over the same period. The surge in cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer rates is not unique to Hong Kong. From 2012 to 2022, the incidence rate among American women rose faster for those under the age of 50 than that of those over 50, according to the US-based cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer Research Foundation. Some of the factors experts suggest are driving the earlier onset of cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer include women holding off on childbirth until later ages, or not at all, and changes in breastfeeding patterns. cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="133357" data-entity-type="topic">lung cancer is also becoming more prevalent in women – particularly those who have never smoked – even as the rate among men has declined. Over the past two decades, the South China Morning Post found the rate of new cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="133357" data-entity-type="topic">lung cancer cases in women had increased by 20 per cent, even as cases in men have gradually fallen. Researchers have attributed the increase to genetic predispositions to cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="133357" data-entity-type="topic">lung cancer identified among East Asian women, as well as cooking fumes in poorly ventilated environments, as among the factors. cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="133357" data-entity-type="topic">lung cancer becoming more prevalent… Silver linings Despite these trends, there are also a raft of positive developments in Hong Kong’s fight against cancer. While the number of overall cancer cases is rising, people are more likely to survive the disease than ever before. When accounting for demographic shifts, age-standardised cancer-related deaths have dropped by a third over the past two decades to just 71.1 per 100,000 people. Age-standardised cancer mortality rates While the total number of cancer deaths has been rising, the Hospital Authority attributes it to population growth and aging. When accounting for demographic shifts, age-standardised cancer-related death rates have been declining. The Hospital Authority says this shows that the city's cancer care systems are making progress. Between 2018 and 2022, the survival rate among cancer patients over 15 years of age increased to 55.7 per cent, up from 49.1 per cent between 2010 and 2013, according to the Hong Kong cancer Registry. The Hospital Authority has said this indicates the city’s systems for managing cancer are making progress. The identified factors behind such improvements include advances in cancer treatment and earlier cancer diagnoses. Overall, thyroid cancer, cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer in women and cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="135493" data-entity-type="topic">prostate cancer have the highest survival rates, while cancers attacking the pancreas, oesophagus and gallbladder have the lowest. Top 3 cancers with the highest and lowest survival rates New initiatives Driving these improvements are robust efforts by both the government and many of the city’s universities. The city launched its first-ever comprehensive policy for tackling the disease in 2019, which laid out a seven-pronged approach including offering timely treatment and enhancing surveillance and research. Since then the city has launched a number of new initiatives, such as the cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="128109" data-entity-type="topic">breast cancer Screening Pilot Programme for high-risk women aged 35 to 74, which rolled out in two phases in 2021 and 2025. The government-subsidised cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="137617" data-entity-type="topic">Colorectal cancer Screening Programme, for residents aged 50 to 75, was also fully implemented in 2020 after a pilot run four years earlier. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s latest policy address also announced that authorities would commission local universities to explore using AI-aided cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="133357" data-entity-type="topic">lung cancer screening technologies. Recent initiatives to screen for cancer Many of the city’s universities have already been pioneering new cancer screening research. In 2024, the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s faculty of medicine released a study detailing how it was applying AI to endoscopic procedures to help enhance the detection of gastrointestinal cancers. Earlier this year, a research team from the University of Hong Kong demonstrated how prostate-specific antigen screening for men over 45 could reduce the incidence of late-state cancer" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="135493" data-entity-type="topic">prostate cancer while also being cost-effective. Hong Kong compared with the world Hong Kong’s advancements in cancer screening and treatment are clearest when comparing the city with the global average. Comparing Hong Kong data with that of the World Health Organization showed that while the local cancer diagnosis rates exceeded global averages, mortality rates remained significantly lower.When it comes to the overall profile of cancer diagnoses, Hong Kong is aligned with global trends, with lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancers being the most common, though their prevalence is higher overall. Top 5 most common forms of cancer in 2022 Age-standardised cancer incidence rate* per 100,000 people Age-standardised cancer mortality rate* per 100,000 people