According to the Israel Cancer Association, which on Monday released statistics for the years 2011 to 2015, Jerusalem is the city with the fewest number of cancer patients in Israel.

After the morbidity figures were divided into 14 areas – Tzefas, Kinneret, Jezreel Valley, Akko, Haifa, Hadera, Hasharon, Petach Tikvah, Ramle, Rehovot, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ashkelon and Beersheva – it was found that morbidity was particularly high in the Haifa area among men (11%), women (9%), and Ashkelon (9%) and women (4%), as well as in Beersheva (4%) and (6%).

As noted in the Jerusalem area, overall cancer rates were significantly lower among men (14%), among women (5%), in the Akko area only among women (8%), and in Hadera (6%).

According to the types of cancer, women had a higher incidence of cancer in the Tel Aviv area (12%), Petach Tikvah (7%) and Haifa (7%) than in Akko (-13%), the Kinneret region (-1%) Hadera (-9%) and Jerusalem (-6%), where morbidity was lower than expected.

The same hold true regarding prostate cancer, with morbidity lower than expected in the Jerusalem area (-8%), in the Akko area (-18%) and in the Sharon region (-10%) in contrast to the excess morbidity in Ashkelon (12%) and Rehovot (7%).

The cancer with the highest morbidity rate, lung cancer, Petach Tikvah (-22%), has joined Jerusalem (-30%) with the lowest morbidity rate among men, while in Akko, (38%), Jezreel Valley (22%) and Hadera (16%). This is also true among women: The increase in morbidity is found in Tel Aviv (24%) and Haifa (15%), in contrast to the Jezreel Valley area (-27%), Acre (-22%), Hadera (-20%) and Jerusalem (-16%), showing a low morbidity rate.

Prof. Lital Keinan-Boker, deputy director of the Center for Disease Control in the Ministry of Health, explains how Jerusalem, dubbed the dirtiest city in Israel has less patients than other cities. “It is not possible to conclude from the data on a direct link between environmental pollution and cancer morbidity, especially that only lung cancer and, to a certain extent, bladder cancer, are also associated with environmental air pollution.”

“The findings can come from a number of factors” she explains, “such as unhealthy behaviors – smoking or performing screening tests for early detection of cancer – and personal, genetic, and occupational risk factors,” she said, adding, “only a comprehensive study that collects data on individual exposures can provide a clearer response to the differences in morbidity among the various regions in Israel.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)