The incidence of cancer in Karnataka was higher among women in 2022. A total of 47,806 women were diagnosed with cancer last year as opposed to 42,543 men, according to data from the National Cancer Registry Programme report.
Breast cancer contributed 29.5% of the total burden in females, the highest among all cancers in Karnataka. This was followed by cancers of the cervix (10%) and ovary (5.9%). The leading sites of cancers in males were lung (12.05%), mouth (6.47%), and prostate (6.01%).
In Bengaluru
In Bengaluru, prostate, colon, liver, brain, tongue, lung, lymphoma, mouth, esophagus, and stomach cancers are increasing significantly among men. Apart from breast cancer, corpus uteri, lung, colon, ovary, thyroid and stomach cancers are significantly increasing in women in the city. In both genders, colorectal cancers are on the rise, according to doctors from the State-run Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology. February 4 is observed as World Cancer Day.
Also read: Breast cancer incidences in young women on the rise in India, say oncologists
Breast cancer specialist C. Ramachandra, who is the former director of Kidwai institute, said annually on average there is a 1% increase in cancer cases in both males and females in Karnataka. A similar trend is observed in other metropolitan cities in India, he said.
“The fact that more young women are being diagnosed with breast cancer is a worrisome trend. We have seen a decline in mouth and cervical cancers in Bengaluru. However, colorectal cancer that was earlier seen in late 40s is now being diagnosed in younger people,” Dr. Ramachandra said.
Risk factors
Although the exact risk factors for breast cancer are still not known, sedentary lifestyles, excessive consumption of fast food and aerated drinks, an increase in smoking and alcohol consumption among women and menstrual factors (early age at menarche and late age at menopause) are responsible, he said.
Besides, obesity, weight gain during adulthood, lack of physical exercise, and reproductive factors (nulliparity, late childbearing) and exogenous hormone factors (use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy) are also the common risk factors, he said.
Around 7% rise by 2025
New cancer cases in Karnataka are likely to increase to 97,130 cases by 2025 — nearly 7% increase from the incidence of 90,349 cases in 2022 based on the current trends. In 2021, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Bengaluru, had projected an 11% rise in new cancer cases in Karnataka by 2025. These projections were made in ‘The Clinicopathological Profile of Cancers in India: A Report of the Hospital-Based Cancer Registries, 2021’ prepared by NCDIR.
According to the report, the projected incidence of cancer cases in Karnataka in 2025 in females is 51,437, an 11.61% increase compared to the incidence of 45,465 in 2020. Whereas in males, the rise in projected incidence is 45,693, an 11.3% increase compared to the incidence of 40,503 in 2020.
Need for preventable measures
Attributing the rise in cancer incidence among women to lifestyle changes, NCDIR director Prashant Mathur told The Hindu that preventable measures need to be taken for reducing the future burden of cancer.
A paper titled ‘Cancer incidence estimates for 2022 and projection for 2025: Result from National Cancer Registry Programme, India’ authored by a team of researchers from the NCDIR led by Dr. Mathur has been recently published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research.
“The new estimates are helpful for cancer prevention and control activities through the intervention of early detection, risk reduction and management in India. Appropriate research is, however, needed to delve deeper into the reasons of cancer burden and provide affordable solutions,” said Dr. Mathur.
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