Aizawl has highest burden of cancer among men, 9 times more than Beed & Osmanabad: Report

The National Cancer Registry Programme (2012-2016) report, released by The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Bengaluru, also found that the burden of cancer in women is seven times more at Papumpare district in Arunachal Pradesh than Osmanabad and Beed districts in Maharashtra.

The cancer incidence rate for the male population ranges from 269.4 per 1,00,000 population in Aizawl district (highest in India) to 39.5 in Osmanabad and Beed district (lowest in the country).

Similarly, the cancer incidence rate for the female population ranges from 219.8 per 100,000 (Papumpare district in Arunachal Pradesh) to 49.4 (Osmanabad and Beed districts).

According to the report, one out of every four persons in Papumpare district, in the age group of 0-74 years, faces the possibility of developing cancer through the course of a lifetime.

These estimates are based on information related to cancer collected from 28 Population Based Cancer Registries (PBCRs). Additionally, 58 Hospital Based Cancer Registries (HBCRs) provided cancer data.

In 2020, according to the report, tobacco-related cancers are estimated to contribute 3.7 lakh cases, or 27.1 per cent of the total cancer burden. Among women, breast cancer is estimated to contribute 2.0 lakh cases (14.8 per cent of the total cancer burden) and cervix cancer is estimated to contribute 0.75 lakh cases (5.4 per cent), whereas for both men and women, cancer of the gastrointestinal tract is estimated to contribute 2.7 lakh cases (19.7 per cent).

Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, deputy director of the Centre for Cancer Epidemiology at Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), told The Indian Express that there is very high tobacco use in Aizawl, leading to such a high burden of cancer in men, while number of breast cancer and cervical cancer cases is also high.

Dr Chaturvedi said that the TMC has a strong presence in Maharashtra, where the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Centre in these districts has been providing low-cost interventions for treating cancer. “Multiple studies are also underway in Beed district to understand if there are genetic influences due to which there is a low burden of cancer here,” said Dr Chaturvedi.

Cancers related to use of any form of tobacco were found to be the highest in the north-eastern region of the country and in higher proportions in men. Cancers of lung, mouth, stomach and oesophagus were the most common cancers among men. Cancer of breast and cervix uteri were the most common cancers among women. A significant increase in the incidence rates of breast cancers in women, and lung and head and neck cancers in both men and women, was observed in most of the registries. However, a declining trend was seen in most of the registries for cancer of the cervix.

Cancers of lung were diagnosed at a stage of spread to distant sites, while cancers of head and neck, stomach, breast and cervix were in higher proportions with loco-regional spread. Multimodality treatment (a varied combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy) was administered for cancers of breast and head and neck, while cancer cervix was treated mainly with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, according to the report.