Cancer is the 2nd biggest killer

Risingbd Desk: Cancer has emerged as the second-leading cause of death globally after cardiovascular diseases. Proportion of deaths due to cancer around the world increased from 12% in 1990 to 15% in 2013 while the number of new cases almost doubled in India during the period.

In India, deaths from the disease have increased by 60%, according to the latest report `Global Burden of Cancer-2013`, released worldwide on Friday.

"Even if we adjust for the rise in population in India over this period, the new cancer cases have increased by 30% per unit population and deaths have risen by 10%," says Lalit Dandona, co-author of the study and Professor at the Public Health Foundation of India and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

In 2013, there were 14.9 million new cancer cases registered worldwide, whereas 8.2 million people died due to the disease.

The report is based on a global study of 28 cancer groups in 188 countries by a consortium of international researchers from University of Washington and Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation.

The report suggests that new cases of virtually all types of cancer are rising in countries globally - regardless of income - but the death rates from cancer are falling in many countries primarily due to prevention and treatment. However, it says there is a threat of increasing incidence in developing countries due to ill-equipped health systems.

"In India, the government should put more emphasis on prevention and early detection of cancer where it is possible, as tertiary treatment of advanced cancer is difficult and expensive," says Dandona pointing towards the need for a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the spiraling numbers.

Though cancer is a global phenomenon, countries around the world show important variations.

For instance, mouth cancer, which is not prominent globally, is the second most diagnosed cancer in India and its incidence has increased by almost 130% since 1990. Experts say, tobacco chewing, which is a unique trend in India and some parts of South Asia, is the predominant reason for the increasing number of mouth cancer cases in the country. Apart from India, mouth cancer is found common in Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.

The number of new mouth cancer cases in India more than doubled between 1990 and 2013 and was among the highest in the world, up from 55,480 to 1,27168, up 129.2%. Among men, it was also found as the most common type of cancer occurring in 2013.

While incidence of breast cancer is highest in India as well as globally, most number of cancer deaths in India are caused due to stomach cancer, which is globally the second most common reason for death.

Source: Times of India

risingbd/May 29, 2015/Mukul