Despite being the country’s second least populated State, Mizoram exhibits the highest incidence rate of cancer in India. The latest evidence from an 18-year trend study notes a consistent uptick in cancer incidence and mortality in the State, with stomach cancer emerging as the primary cause of cancer-related deaths among men, while lung cancer plays a parallel role among women.
Cancer incidence and mortality is also growing among the younger generation in Mizoram, which may stem from the static lifestyle and dietary patterns prevalent within the endogamous tribal population, potentially contributing to a genetic predisposition, according to the study, titled “Cancer awareness, diagnosis and treatment needs in Mizoram, India: evidence from 18 years trends (2003–2020)’’, which was recently published in The Lancet Regional Health — Southeast Asia.
The study notes that the escalation in mortality rates could be attributed to a dearth of specialised diagnostic facilities and skilled human resources, treatment strategies guided by genomic research, and transportation challenges.
Deadly disease
According to the World Health Organisation, cancer is a large group of diseases that can start in almost any organ or tissue of the body when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, and go beyond their usual boundaries to invade adjoining parts of the body or spread to other organs. It is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for one in six deaths in 2018. Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancer are the most common among women.
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Meanwhile findings of this recent study in Mizoram notes that among men the most prevalent cancer site was the stomach, followed by head and neck, lung, oesophagus, colorectal, liver, urinary, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and prostate cancers.
Conversely, among women, lung cancer exhibited the highest incidence followed by cervical, breast, stomach, head and neck, colorectal, oesophagus, liver and ovarian cancers.
Cancer on the rise
“Join point regression analysis revealed a rising trend in incidence and mortality over time for overall cancer sites. Among the primary cancer sites contributing to incidence and mortality, an increase in annual percentage change was observable for all, except stomach cancer, in both men and women. The diagnostic approach, except for cases of cancer with unknown primary sites, involved a microscopic method,” explained the study.
For the study, cancer incidence and mortality data were extracted from the Mizoram Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) spanning the years 2003–2020. PBCR was supported by funding from the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research of the Indian Council of Medical Research, the study said..
Another paper estimates that one in nine people across India are likely to develop cancer in their lifetimes. “Lung and breast cancers were the leading sites of cancer in males and females, respectively. Among childhood (0-14 yr) cancers, lymphoid leukaemia (boys: 29.2% and girls: 24.2%) was the leading site. The incidence of cancer cases is estimated to increase by 12.8 per cent in 2025 as compared to 2020,” said the paper, titled, “Cancer incidence estimates for 2022 & projection for 2025: Result from National Cancer Registry Programme”, which was published last year.
