London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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upon the two sexes according to site of attack, the contrasts in incidence and sexratio
of cancer mortality among persons born in successive decennia, and the influence
of social condition upon mortality and locality of growth.
The figures relating to this group of cancers are as follows:—
| Site of Cancer. | Death-rate per million living 1911-20. | Site of Cancer. | Death-rate per million living 1911-20. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males. | Females. | Males. | Females. | ||
| Lip | 8 | 1 | Pharynx | 18 | 4 |
| Tongue | 82 | 6 | Larynx, throat | 42 | 5 |
| Tonsil | 12 | 1 | Neck | 19 | 3 |
| Mouth | 23 | 2 | Œsophagus | 106 | 16 |
| Jaw | 26 | 8 | Total | 336 | 46 |
On the other hand, the localities in which the female mortality is markedly
in excess also comprise a special group, namely, the reproductive system, the figures
being as follows:—
Death-rates per million living.
| Males. | Females. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast | 2 | Breast | 227 |
| Prostate | 30 | Ovary, Fallopian tubes | 38 |
| Testis | 6 | Uterus | 230 |
| Penis, Scrotum | 8 | Vagina, Vulva | 14 |
| Total | 52 | Total | 509 |
In the whole of the remaining localities of attack the incidence upon the two sexes may, relatively to the above marked divergences, be regarded as practically equal, as will appear from the following table:—
| Site of Cancer. | Death-rate per million living. | |
|---|---|---|
| Males. | Females. | |
| Rodent ulcer and remainder of upper alimentary canal | 60 | 41 |
| Stomach | 214 | 153 |
| Intestines | 111 | 142 |
| Rectum and anus | 115 | 87 |
| Liver | 87 | 105 |
| Other localities below diaphragm | 106 | 94 |
| Boner,, lymphatic glands, skin, etc | 49 | 34 |
| 742 | 656 | |
In the decennial period 1911-20 the annual average mortality from cancer in
London per million living was, for males, 1,130, and for females, 1,211; and the
above tables show that on the basis of sex ratio of mortality the localities of primary
growth may be divided into three well-defined groups, the first (Group I.) comprising
the upper alimentary tract with remarkable excess of male mortality; the second
(Group II.) the reproductive system with correspondingly marked female excess;
and the third (Group III.) all other cancers, with approximately equal sex incidence
of mortality.
The three groups into which fatal cancers have been classed on the basis of
sex-ratio of mortality also exhibit points of contrast in respect of the age-distribution