Guwahati: Despite several government initiatives to spread awareness about tobacco control programmes and screenings, the northeastern states are yet to shed their cancer hotspots tag as the consumption of tobacco and liquor continues unabated in the region.
Dr Amal Katokey, former director of Dr B Barooah Cancer Hospital, expressed concern over the alarming cancer prevalence in Assam and other northeastern states and said over 60,000 people are detected with cancer every year in the northeast out of which about 50,000 are from Assam.
Citing the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare statistics, the renowned oncologist said 1,14,169 people have died in Assam due to cancer and 1,89,478 people were detected with the malady in the last five years in Assam. The cancer prevalence rate in Assam is 206 per lakh population, which is far higher than the national average of 80-110, he added.
It may be mentioned here that Mizoram tops the cancer prevalence rate in the country with 270 per lakh population.
While food habits and drinking habits are responsible for the disease in Assam and other northeastern states, tobacco also plays a vital role in cancer prevalence. Experts think that most of the cancer cases in the region are related to tobacco consumption. While the average smoking rate in India has dipped to 28 per cent from 34 per cent, the statistics in Assam and other northeastern states have increased from 48 per cent to 39 per cent.
The data also indicates that 70 per cent of the cancer cases in Mizoram and Meghalaya are due to tobacco consumption.
Alcohol consumption in Assam is 22 per cent compared to 11 per cent of the national average, leading to a high prevalence and incidence rate of cancer in the region.
Another factor which is exacerbating the situation in the region is late detection as most of the patients turn up for treatment at the last stages.
"There must be more awareness of cancer in the region. The government should focus more on screening for early detection. About 14 lakh cancer cases are detected in India every year and tobacco is a major factor for this. About 48.2 per cent of people in Assam consume tobacco," Dr Katokey said adding that about 13.5 lakh people die every year due to tobacco-induced diseases like stroke, heart disease etc.
He also expressed concern over the fact that 46.5 per cent of children below 15 years are affected by passive smoking. Apart from this, air pollution, water pollution, and the use of pesticides have also been contributing towards cancer cases in the country, he said.
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