21,016 people die of cancer in 3 years in J&K

Srinagar, Dec 3: In Jammu and Kashmir the number of persons succumbing to deadly cancer has witnessed an increase as in the last three years estimated 21,016 patients have died after having been diagnosed with cancer.

As per the official data shared by Union Health Ministry, a total of 21,016 persons have died due to cancer during the period of 2018 to 2020 in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

   

Further dissecting the figures point out that there has been a constant increase in number of mortalities due to cancer, in 2018, 6824 cancer patients were reported to have died, in 2019 the number of deaths rose to 7003 and in 2020 the fatalities surged to 7189, thus showing an upward trend.

In the same period, 22.54 lakh patients died after having been diagnosed with cancer. Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a constant increase in cancer cases as well as the government of India’s data has revealed that in the last three years (2019 to 2021) the UT has reported 39,041 cancer cases.

As per Union Health Ministry’s figures, J&K has reported an estimated 39041 cancer cases, of which 12675 were recorded in 2019, 13012 in 2020 and 13354 in 2021.

A cursory look at the figures points out that there is constant increase in cancer cases. The Ministry has stated that the data is compiled by the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Cancer Registry Data report on “National Cancer Registry Programme Report 2020.”

“Cancer is a multi-factorial disease, the risk factors of which include ageing, population, sedentary lifestyle, use of tobacco products, unhealthy diet and air pollution. Published studies have indicated that alcohol consumption is causally associated with the cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colorectum, liver and female breast. Harmful use of alcohol is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and is associated with many illnesses including cancer,” the Health ministry has stated in its reply in Parliament.

Rising trend of cancer cases in J&K is a cause of concern for the general populace as well as for health care workers and government, several studies have been done in the past to know about the causes leading to a surge in such cases. In 2012, a SKIMS study blamed “food habits and life style patterns” as also the consumption of the high salt content foods for the growing incidence of cancers.

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