Data from the Indian Cancer Society also reveals an increase in instances of lung cancer among women; the good news is there is a decline in cervical cancer, the second most common
The Indian Cancer Society on Monday released its report on Mumbai’s incidence of cancer. Data from its cancer registry revealed that around 13,500 new cancer cases were reported in Mumbai in 2014, the year the data was analysed for. “The number of cancer cases are on the rise but it is not very steep. As awareness and access to diagnostics increase in Mumbai, more cancers are being detected at an early stage,” said Dr Vinay Deshmane, Medical Director, Mumbai Cancer Registry. He attributed the rise to ageing population and access to diagnostics.
The lifetime risk of developing cancer stands at 1:8, which means that one in every eight persons could develop cancer in their lifetime. Forty per cent of all cancers in male is directly linked to the use of tobacco while in females the number stands at 16 per cent. “What has changed is that we are seeing a lot more women with lung cancer than before,” Dr Deshmane said. While research on the exact cause of the rise in the figures was needed, he said environmental or lifestyle factors like smoking, could be at play.
On a positive note, the data revealed that the number of new cases of cervical cancer has been steadily declining. It could perhaps be due to improvement in sanitation and access to flowing water. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women.
Over-all cancers related to the gastrointestine (GI) like oesophagus, stomach, pancreas and intestine among others were found to be the most common. “Many of the GI cancers are linked to the consumption of tobacco, spicy food and even high fat content according to some studies,” Deshmane said.
Cancer rates are known to be high among the old, and as life expectancy improves, overall incidence of cancer is expected to rise.
The data for the Mumbai Cancer Registry was collected from 137 sources. Some institutes such as the state-run JJ Hospital and privately-run Hiranandani Hospital among others refused to part with their data. Cancer has been made a notifiable disease in four states —West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka and West Bengal. It’s mandatory for hospitals or doctors in these states to report every case. “We want more states to do it,” Dr Deshmane said.
The ICS is open to help from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) wings to expand its research in Thane and Navi Mumbai, it said. At present, ICS maintains registries for Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur besides Mumbai.
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