health
SURGING CANCER RATE IN KERALA In 2016, Kerala has the maximum crude cancer rate in the country apart from Mizoram and Delhi. In these regions the cancer incidence is more than 105 per 1 lakh, which is highest in the country
Dr Chandramohan K
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BRAND KERALA
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n September 15th famous medical journal published a shocking article about, cancer incidence in India. This article, which was published by Prof Lalit Dandona, Public Health Foundation of India, carried a lots of bad news for India in general and Kerala in particular. The study was funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The researchers collected data from multiple sources, including 42 population-based cancer registries and the nationwide Sample Registration System. They found out that 8.3% of total deaths and 5% of disability in India are due to cancer, and it was double in 2016, compared to 1990. There was an increase in age adjusted incidence rates of 40.7% for breast cancers between these two time periods. But there is more alarming information in store for Kerala. In 2016, Kerala has the maximum crude cancer rate in the country apart from Mizoram and Delhi. In these regions the cancer incidence is more than 105 per 1 lakh, which is highest in the country (see figure). This Kerala is supposed to be best among Indian states in health care. The maternal mortality rate which is an important index of the strength of health care services of a particular country or region is very low in Kerala is similar to the rate which you see in the most developed nations like Sweden or UK. But unfortunately this is no longer the scenario in many other branches of
SEPTEMBER 2018
Medicine. For example, if you look into the survival of a cancer patient, you will see the figures are frustratingly low in Kerala. In most developed nations, the cancer treatment is so advanced that the cure rate has touched 90% marks in many cancers. For example the SEER data base in US shows that the breast cancer survival for all stages in US is something like 90%. But a study which came from India showed that only 50% patients are surviving breast cancer in India. Apart from those patients who
IN MOST DEVELOPED NATIONS, THE CANCER TREATMENT IS SO ADVANCED THAT THE CURE RATE HAS TOUCHED 90% MARKS IN MANY CANCERS.
receiving treatment in reputed institutes like RCC (Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum), a large number of patients are getting treated elsewhere in not so scientific manner. So the survival of those patients is miserably low compared to the international or these national standards. Why this is happening in India and Kerala in particular? The reason is that even though Kerala is having half million new cancers diagnosed every year and huge population of 35 million. Dedicated cancer hospitals are less than ten in the
