Cancer ranks seventh among diseases that cause mortality in Indonesia. Prevalence in 2013 was high as seen in the data of the Basic Health Research 2013 that reached 1.4 per 1,000 population or 347 thousands people.
The highest case is still on breast cancer and ovarian cancer for female while for male it is colorectal and lung cancer.
Expert in Medical Hematology Oncology from UGM, dr. Mardiah Suci Hardianti, Ph.D., Sp.PD., said the cancer prevalence in Indonesia increased every year with most of them were due to unhealthy lifestyle.
Mardiah said there are two factors that cause cancer, first it is individual vulnerability, secondly, external factor due to environment and unhealthy lifestyle. Virus infection may also cause cancer. Both factors may cause gene mutation or transformation that plays a role in the cancer formation. Most, however, is caused by external factors.
"As high as 95 percent of cancer cases are because of gene mutation due to external factors while the rest is internal factor; so most of cancer cases are preventable,” she said at Dr. Sardjito General Hospital recently.
Mardiah said patients of cancer in the province was high. In 2009 there were 23 thousands out-patients and in 2015 it was 48,175.
To minimise cancer prevalence, she called on the people to have a healthy lifestyle and avoid the risk factors, such as smoking, pollution, UV rays, alcohol, and low fibre diet. It is also important for people to keep active physically.
"Having vaccination can help prevent cancer risks, too,” said the lecturer of UGM Faculty of Medicine,” she said alongside the World Cancer Day 2016 commemoration.
The government is expected to make commitment in providing adequate resources to reduce mortality rate due to cancer and to improve patient’s quality of life.
Mardiah added that the government should make a community based cancer registration to know the real case among society. She said, “The real number of patients is much bigger, but not all is already announced. We hope the efforts we make may help future handling of cancer,” she said.