Cancer Kills 100 Women
By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - The trend of more and more women taking to cigarette smoking nowadays could be one of the reasons for the escalation in cancer as well as other women's diseases, medical authorities revealed at a recent health convention.

Citing facts that cancer has become Brunei women's killer number one, they said last year alone nearly 100 women died of cancer, 40 from breast cancer followed by cervical cancer, colon, lung and ovarian cancers.

Breast cancer has notably contributed to a large number of deaths over the past three years, medical experts from RIPAS Hospital observed.

Smoking increased the risk of impotency, cervical cancer, and miscarriage during pregnancy, increased risk of women's diseases and birth defects. It was also revealed that there was an 8.3% infant mortality death among 1000 newborn infants.

Women in Brunei are increasingly subjected to modern diseases, which are also closely associated to their lifestyle, and doctors urged them to look after their health throughout their life span and seek treatment as early as possible to avoid life-threatening complications.

These include undergoing Pap smear tests, breast examinations, controlling one's body weight, keeping cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels under control.

Highlighting these facts during a recently concluded health convention, a doctors from the Department of Obstetrics at RIPAS Hospital revealed that cardiovascular disease and cancer are increasing among women in the country.

Statistics showed that there was a fluctuation in the number of deaths caused by cancer with 94 deaths in 2001, 116 in 2002 and 98 in 2003.

Cardiovascular disease has also raised its head over three years. Statistics reveal that 45 deaths per a 100,000 population were recorded in 2002, an increase of 11 compared to in 1999.

Another issue that is haunting women here seems to be complications related to pregnancy such as teenage pregnancies, pregnancy during diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity as well as abnormal pregnancies.

There had been 26 deaths among 100,000 in 2002 and 27 deaths in 2001 while 22 were recorded in 1999. No data was available for 2000. -- Courtesy of Radio Television Brunei

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