New analysis shows wide variation between states in cancer incidence
Kerala has the highest incidence of cancer in India followed by Mizoram, Haryana and Delhi.
India’s first ever state level disease burden data shows wide disparities between states in the incidence of cancer. The analysis published in The Lancet Oncology has also revealed that while incidence of cancers of the cervix and esophagus have come down there has been a spurt in cases of breast and liver cancer.
The analysis found: “The estimated number of incident cancer cases in India increased from 548 000 in 1990 to 1069000 in 2016. The crude cancer incidence rate in India increased by 28·2% from 63·4 per 100000 in 1990 to 81·2 per 100000 in 2016, but there was no change in the age-standardised incidence rate. Crude cancer incidence rate was highest in Kerala and Mizoram, followed by Haryana, Delhi, Karnataka, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Assam. Age-standardised incidence rates were highest in the northeast states of Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam.”
In 2016 Kerala recorded 135.3 cases of cancer per 100,000 population followed by 121.7 in MIzoram, 103.3 in Haryana and 102.9 in Delhi. Between 1990 and 2016 cancer incidence in Kerala almost doubled from 74.1 to 135.3.
In 2016 Kerala recorded 135.3 cases of cancer per 100,000 population followed by 121.7 in Mizoram, 103.3 in Haryana and 102.9 in Delhi. Between 1990 and 2016 cancer incidence in Kerala almost doubled from 74.1 to 135.3. Mizoram went up from 89.1 to 121.7 and Haryana went from an incidence rate of 71 per 100000 population to 103.3.
India, 1990 and 2016
The states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, and Uttarakhand did not exist
in 1990, as they were created from existing larger states in 2000 or later. Data
for these four new states were disaggregated from their parent states based on
their current district composition. These states are shown in the 1990 map for
comparison with 2016.
The analysis revealed a “15 times difference in age-standardised incidence rates of nasopharynx cancer between the neighbouring north-eastern states of Nagaland and Tripura…The states in the northeast of India generally have high tobacco use as well as a high incidence of lung, oesophageal, nasopharynx and other pharynx cancers that are associated with tobacco use. There are also unique tobacco consumption patterns in these states, such as use of tobacco-infused water in Mizoram. HPV and cervical cancer are both high in Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, consumption of smoked or preserved meats and stomach cancer are high in Mizoram, and delayed childbearing and lower parity are high in Kerala as is breast cancer.”