UNSPOKEN PANDEMIC | Cancer mortality on rise in J&K

Srinagar: Around 36,000 patients have died in Jammu and Kashmir in the last five years after being diagnosed with cancer, and the number of such deaths in J&K is increasing.

According to the official statistics released by the Union Health Ministry, a total of 35,623 people in J&K died with cancer between the years 2018 and 2022.

   

Further analysis of the data reveals that the number of cancer-related fatalities has been steadily rising.

In 2018, 6824 cancer patients were reported to have died; in 2019, 7003 deaths were reported; in 2020, 7189 deaths were reported; in 2021, 7211 deaths were reported; and in 2022, 7396 cancer patient fatalities were reported, demonstrating an upward trend.

Increased cancer mortality coincides with the increase in cancer cases that have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir.

As already reported by Greater Kashmir, over 51,000 cancer cases have been registered in J&K over the past four years.

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

From 26.7 million in 2021, the number of cancer patients in India is expected to rise to 29.8 million by 2025. The North (2408 patients per 100,000) and the Northeast had the highest incidence last year (2177 per 100,000). Men experienced it more.

According to a report by the Indian Council for Medical Research on the ‘Burden of cancers in India’, seven cancers accounted for more than 40 percent of the total disease burden: lung (10.6 percent), breast (10.5 percent), esophagus (5.8 percent), mouth (5.7 percent), stomach (5.2 percent), liver (4.6 percent) and cervix uteri (4.3 percent).

As per official data, estimated cancer cases and mortality due to it have increased in the country between 2020 and 2022.

According to the National Cancer Registry Programme of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the estimated incidence of cancer cases in India by different states and union territories in 2020 was 13,92,179 and it increased to 14,26,447 in 2021 and 14,61,427 in 2022.

The estimated mortality due to cancer in India was 7,70,230 in 2020 and it increased to 7,89,202 in 2021 and 8,08,558 in 2022.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 × one =