Steep rise in cancer cases in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: According to data tabled in the Lok Sabha on July 19, Gujarat is among the top 10 states recording the highest rise in cancer cases between 2016 and 2018.

The figures reveal that Gujarat had 80,820 persons with cancer in 2018, translating to prevalence of 133 cases per 1 lakh population considering the 2011 Census data.
The unstarred question No. 4,446 on the matter was asked by MPs Nihal Chand and Arun Sao to the ministry of health and family welfare and was answered by MoS Ashwini Kumar Choubey. The answer cited the figures from the Indian Council of Medical Research's report, 'Three-year Report of Population-Based Cancer Registries: 2012-2014', Bengaluru (2016).
According to the answer, Gujarat had 73,551 registered cases of cancer in 2016 which rose to 80,820 two years later.
In absolute terms, the state ranked eighth after Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu. In the growth of cancer cases, Gujarat ranked ninth.
Dr Shashank Pandya, the director of Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute, said that the institute maintains an Ahmedabad cancer registry.
"If we consider the annual rise, the cases have risen from 4,452 in 2013 to 5,620 in 2016." Pandya went on to say: "So, there is surely a gradual rise in cancer cases in the state due to multiple factors."
Dr Kaustubh Patel, an Ahmedabad cancer surgeon, said that the near 10% rise could well be the tip of the iceberg. "We don't have actual data but prevalence of cancer is much higher than the figures suggest," Patel said.
"These figures are general surveys based on a population-based registry instead of hospital-based cancer registry."
He went on to say: "During our earlier survey, we found that as many as 70% of our male respondents from Gujarat were consuming tobacco in different forms - chewing, smoking, etc." Thus, he said, the high-risk group is big and the actual rise might well be above 10%.