Erica had never considered herself at risk of colorectal cancer before 2006, and was unaware it was one of Hong Kong's biggest cancer killers. But after her mother died from colon cancer in 2006, Erica decided to undergo screening.
In January 2008, she was diagnosed with the same cancer that had killed her mother. Alarmingly, despite the absence of symptoms, it was at an advanced stage and had already spread to her liver.
Hong Kong has become more prosperous, the incidence rate has increased
"I was devastated," recalls Erica, now aged 50. "My son was only 12 years old, and as my mother had died so quickly, I thought I would not live to see him go to secondary school."
In 2010, there were 4,370 new cases of colorectal cancer, the Hong Kong Cancer Registry says. It is one of the most common cancers in Hong Kong, second only to lung cancer in men, and breast cancer in women.
Thirty years ago, it was much less common, with only 818 cases in 1983. But since then the number has risen by about 3 per cent a year. It caused 1,864 deaths in 2010.
According to Professor Yuen Siu-tsan, medical adviser to the Hong Kong Cancer Fund, the city's growing prosperity has led people to switch to a diet rich in red meat, animal fats and processed food. This is to blame for the dramatic increase in colorectal cancer.
"Colorectal cancer is a disease of wealthy societies. When Hong Kong was less developed, the incidence rate was much lower. But as Hong Kong has become more prosperous, the incidence rate has increased," says An honorary clinical professor in the department of pathology at University of Hong Kong, Yuen says as many of 85 per cent of cases were sporadic and believed to environmentally linked to diet and lifestyle.
