NEW DELHI: The latest National Cancer Registry Programme report has projected that the country will have 13.9 lakh cancer cases by the end of this year and it will increase to 15.7 lakh by 2025, marking a rise of about 12% from earlier estimations.
The NCRP is a project run by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Centre for Disease Informatics & Research, and the estimates are based on information related to cancer collected from 28 population-based cancer registries.
Additionally, 58 population-based cancer registries were also used to collate data. In 2020, tobacco related cancers are estimated to contribute 3.7 lakh (27.1%) of the total cancer burden. As reported by this newspaper on this report on July 19, among women, breast cancers are estimated to contribute 2.0 lakh (14.8%) and cervix cancer are estimated to contribute 0.75 lakh (5.4%), whereas for both men and women, cancers of the gastrointestinal tract is estimated to contribute 2.7 lakh (19.7%) of the total cancer burden.
The cancer incidence rate for male population ranges from 269.4 in Aizawl district — the highest in India — to 39.5 in Osmanabad and Beed district per 1 lakh population. Similarly, the cancer incidence rate for women population ranges from 219.8 in Papumpare district to 49.4 Osmanabad & Beed district per 1 lakh population.
Cancers related to use of any form of tobacco were highest in the north-eastern region of the country and in higher proportions in men. Cancer 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.
Multimodality treatment or a varied combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy was administered for cancers of breast and head & neck.