Oral cancer 26% in Nagpur, surpasses national average of 10%: Data

NAGPUR: Disturbing statistics from 2017 to 2023 collected at HCG Cancer Centre have shed light on the grave situation of oral cancer in Nagpur and Vidarbha region.
Out of the over 6,500 patients treated at this hospital in the last five years, more than 26% were diagnosed with oral cancer, surpassing the national average of 10.3%.

Dr Ajay Mehta, a renowned cancer surgeon and director and head of surgical oncology at HCG Cancer Centre, highlighted this data at the NEXGEN-2.0 conference which focused on integrating genomics and theranostics in cancer treatment.
Mehta referred to Nagpur as the ‘oral cancer capital’ of India, emphasizing the urgency to address the situation.
“Though this data is from one hospital which is tertiary care centre, this shows how alarming the situation is and how Nagpur is turning out to be the oral cancer capital of India,” he said.
During his presentation on ‘Genomics: A game changer in surgical oncology,’ Mehta discussed the promise and potential of genomics in improving the staging and personalization of surgical treatments. “It’s important to identify new biomarkers through genomics that can enhance patient-specific therapy, moving away from the traditional approach of providing the same treatment to all patients,” he explained.
Mehta also emphasized the significance of genomic testing in various surgeries.
The conference also featured presentations by Dr KG Kallur, director of molecular imaging from HCG Bangalore, who discussed FAPI PET and theranostics, the latest scanning techniques. Additionally, Dr Govind Babu, HOD of Medical Oncology, gave a presentation on liquid biopsies, while Dr Veena R, HOD of histopathology & digital pathology, and Dr Mithua Ghosh, director of clinical diagnostics at Healthcare Global Enterprises Ltd, Bangalore, shared their expertise on different topics.