SHILLONG, Oct 15 - The East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya has the highest percentage of people with cancer among tobacco users in the country.
According to a study, the East Khasi Hills district has 70.4 per cent males and 46.5 per cent females with cancer associated with tobacco use. In all, the study shows 494.5 persons per one lakh population having cancer among tobacco users in East Khasi Hills district, followed by Aizawl district of Mizoram with 485.5.
The study has been released by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research under the National Cancer Registry Programme Report 2020.
Incidences of cancer related to use of any form of tobacco are the highest in the North Eastern States. The study shows North East females with a higher proportion of cancers associated with use of any form of tobacco, followed by the central and western regions of India.
Cancers of lung, mouth, stomach and oesophagus are the most common among men. Cancers of breast and cervix uteri (womb) are the most common among women.
The cancer incidence rate for the male population is the highest in Aizawl district of Mizoram, recording 269.4 per one lakh population. The incidence rate for the women population is the highest in Papumpare district of Arunachal Pradesh, with 219.8 cases per one lakh population.
Among males, the lowest proportion of cancers associated with use of any form of tobacco is reported in West Arunachal Pradesh at 24.5 per cent and among females, the lowest proportion has been observed in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala at 10.1 per cent.
On the basis of the current trends, it has been estimated that in 2020, cancer cases in the country will stand at 13.9 lakh and are likely to increase to 15.7 lakh by 2025. In 2020, tobacco-related cancers are estimated to contribute 3.7 lakh or 27.1 per cent of the total cancer cases.
Among women, breast cancers are estimated to contribute 2 lakh (14.8 per cent) and cervix (womb) cancers are estimated to contribute 0.75 lakh (5.4 per cent). For both men and women, cancer of the gastrointestinal tract is estimated to contribute 2.7 lakh or 19.7 per cent of the total cancer cases.
These estimates are based on information related to cancers collected from 28 Population Based Cancer Registries (PBCRs). Moreover, 58 Hospital Based Cancer Registries (HBCRs) have also provided the cancer data.
In the Meghalaya capital, the PBCR began in the Civil Hospital, Shillong, in 2009. An HBCR also started at the NEIGRIHMS, Shillong, in 2019.
