Rajasthan shows cancer incidences higher than national average

The analysis of the cancer patients’ data of Rajasthan has projected an average incidence of the disease at 134.57 per one lakh population in the year 2025, which is much above the projected national average of 113 per lakh of population.

Expressing concerns over this trend, Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital (BMCH) Director (Clinical) Dr S G Kabra said that the data that emerged from the Histopathology department of BMCH is surprising and serious.

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The department of the BMCH is a centre approved for reporting histopathologically confirmed cases of cancer to the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research for ICMR’s Indian Cancer Registry, Dr Kabra said.

Elaborating on the analysis done, he said that statistical analysis of Indian Cancer Registry data by Krishnan Satish Kumar and others in ‘Cancer incidences estimated for 2022 and projected for 2025’ (IJMR 2023) estimates the incidence in India to be 100.4 per lakh population in 2022, and an estimated increase of 12.8 per cent in 2025. Thus, the estimated incidence in 2025 is 113.2 per lakh population.

The Registry culled this data received from the Population-Based Cancer Registries. The data is not comprehensive for the entire country but constitutes an unselected representative sample for crude incidence analysis, it said.

Dr Kabra said that based on the sample size, the crude cancer incidence rate per one lakh population for each district has been worked out. The average incidence for Rajasthan, as per the BMCH sample, is 14.9 per lakh.

Since BMCH receives 1 case for every 9 estimated cancer patients, the overall state average is 14.9 multiplied by 9, which is equal to 134.57 per lakh of population. This is higher than the estimated average of 113/lakh population for India. The finding should caution all, particularly the policymakers and health administrators of the state.

This is not the end of worries of the people and the authorities, as some of the districts, including Jaipur, Ajmer, and Jhunjhunu, have shown cancer incidence two to three-fold higher than the state and the national average.

Among these, Jaipur district, with 332/lakh, tops the tally, followed by Ajmer (256/lakh), Jhunjhunu (235/lakh), and Dausa (225/lakh).

Likewise, the trend in types of cancer is also worrisome. According to the analysis, lip, oral cavity, and pharynx cancers emerged at the top in the tally of incidences, followed by digestive organs, then respiratory and intrathoracic organs at third place, breast cancer at fourth place, and female genital organ cancer at fifth.

The high incidence of these cancers is greatly worrisome, as the known causes of these cancers are tobacco consumption, high alcohol intake, and high pesticide exposure.

The high incidence of breast and cervical cancer in females, too, needs effective early detection and treatment strategy along with primary prevention measures advocated and available, he said.

“This shows Rajasthan in a the serious grip of cancer and needing to initiate primary and secondary prevention measures”, Dr Kabra concluded.