1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:01,840 Speaker 1: We have a new State of Cancer and New Zealand 2 00:00:01,880 --> 00:00:04,840 Speaker 1: report out this morning which provides a snapshot of cancer 3 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: control over the past five years. And there's some good 4 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: news here, which is that your chance of surviving cancer 5 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: is now up on what it was twenty years ago. 6 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: Doctor Chris Jackson is a professor of oncology at the 7 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: University of Otago and a practicing medical oncologist and with 8 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: us HI Chris Jobby Heather, Now, what's that down to 9 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,439 Speaker 1: our survivability? Is that better diagnosis or better treatment? 10 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 2: Well, the thing about cancer is it's not this one disease, 11 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 2: it's many. And again with cancer it's not just one thing, 12 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 2: it's many as well. So it's better prevention. So fewer 13 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 2: New Zealanders are smoking than ever before, which is great, 14 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,200 Speaker 2: as earlier detection was, better screening programs, so now bow 15 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 2: bow breast in civil cancer, better treatments which are available, 16 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 2: which is fantastic. And so it's really many things along 17 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 2: the whole continuum. But saying that the system is better 18 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:52,199 Speaker 2: than ever has been, which it is, and saying our 19 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 2: survival is better than it ever has been, which it is, 20 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 2: is fantastic. But you know, if you're someone who's on 21 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 2: a waiting list to be seen by a special or 22 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 2: if you're waiting on a chest, or if you're someone 23 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:05,479 Speaker 2: who's trying to access a new cancer drag, it can 24 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 2: still be a pretty frustrating time. 25 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, if there was one thing that you could change 26 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: in order to prevent cancer, what would it be. 27 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, well the number twenty percent of all cancers are 28 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 2: related to smoking twenty percent, So if you get really 29 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 2: smoking that you would cut the number of cancers by 30 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 2: twenty percent. 31 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: So that is understanded, even though the numbers are so 32 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: small nowadays. 33 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, well it's probably gonna certainly there's going down, but 34 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 2: those people who've been smoking are still going to be 35 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 2: going through the system for that amount of time. The number, 36 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 2: the number two cause is a best teap. So New 37 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 2: Zealand's what the third most obese country in the world now, 38 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 2: I think, And we're seeing a rise in some obesely 39 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 2: related cancers now also, and I think of a good 40 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 2: facts that there will be the other big thing in 41 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,040 Speaker 2: terms of prevention. The other key thing, which is a 42 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 2: very New Zealand thing, is our love affair with the 43 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 2: fun and as we come into summer months, I think 44 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 2: we have to reflect on the old flip slop slap thing. 45 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 2: Australia has done the sun prevention thing better than we 46 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 2: have and our skin cancer rates are now hide theirs. 47 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, well I suppose, I mean you must be reasonably 48 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: heartened to them by what the WI GOVI is doing 49 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: and the possibility that comes off patient next year and 50 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: we start getting the stuff for cheaper. 51 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 2: Yes, yes, yes, I certainly think that that is certainly 52 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 2: going to be a big, big factor for a lot 53 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 2: of people. But still, you know, it's not really the 54 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 2: answer for everyone. No. 55 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: Now, listen, the backlogs and the wait times, as you 56 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: mentioned before, are creating a headache. So what is going 57 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: on here? Is this getting better on? 58 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 2: Well, if you look at the numbers of people affected 59 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 2: by cancer, people reckon that we're going to have about 60 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 2: fifty percent increase the numbers affected over the course of 61 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 2: existing to twenty years. So we're getting older and as 62 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 2: you get older, the numbers of cancers go up and 63 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 2: there's more of us, and our system is not growing 64 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:45,639 Speaker 2: at the same pace as there. So thirty thousand people 65 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 2: affected this year and interesting years time, forty five thousand 66 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 2: people set it's half as mini again, which means half 67 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 2: as mini again, skin surgeries, operations are procedures and the like, 68 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 2: and we're just not growing our system at the same rate. 69 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 2: And there's no doubt that the politicians are tracking the 70 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 2: care at their health system and it's for sure, but 71 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 2: it's not going up at fifty percent over the course 72 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 2: the next fifteen years. So there's a lot of work 73 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 2: to do in terms of making sure that we have 74 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 2: the system right side. Ye. 75 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: Good stuff, Thank you so much, Chris appreciated. Doctor Chris Jackson, 76 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: Professor of oncology at University of Otaga. 77 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 2: For more from the My Casking Breakfast, listen live to 78 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,239 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 79 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.