Uttar Pradesh and
Maharashtra together accounted for 25% of all cancer deaths in India last year.
Delhi recorded lowest cancer mortalities - less
than 9,000. West Bengal recorded the fourth highest cancer deaths (40,199),
followed by Tamil Nadu (39,127).
India officially recorded over half a million
deaths due to cancer in 2011 - 5.35 lakhs as against 5.14 lakh (2009) and 5.24
lakh (2010). UP recorded 89,224 deaths due to cancer, while Maharashtra saw
50,989 fatalities.
Bihar reported 43,864 cancer deaths. Similarly, Andhra
Pradesh saw 37,144 deaths, Rajasthan (30,976), Madhya Pradesh (27,214), Gujarat
(26,588) and Karnataka (25,531)
The Union health ministry says
there are about 28 lakh cases of cancer at any given point of time in India,
with 10 lakh new cases being reported annually.
World Health Organization (WHO)
says, the estimated cancer deaths in India are projected to increase to 7 lakh
by 2015.
Cancers account for 14% of the overall
non-communicable diseases (NCDs) mortality in India. Cancers account for about
of 3.3% of the disease burden in the country, and about 9% of all deaths.
"Cancer has become one of the 10 leading
causes of death in India. The burden of cancer is expected to increase due to
rise in life expectancy, demographic transitions and the effects of tobacco.
Around 40% of cancer cases are due to tobacco use," said a Planning Commission
paper for the 12th five year Plan on NCDs.
Over 70% of cancer cases in India are diagnosed
during the advanced stages of the disease, resulting in poor survival and high
mortality rates.
"It is estimated that the number of people
living with cancers will rise by nearly 25% between 2001 and 2016. Nearly 10
lakh new cases of cancers will be diagnosed in 2015 compared to about 807,000
in 2004, and about 670,000 people are expected to die," a Union health
ministry official said.
This ministry had launched the National Programme
for Prevention and Control of Cancer in June, 2010, under which 65 tertiary
cancer centres (TCCs) carry out screening, biopsy and treatment of cancer will
be set up in 21 states.
District hospitals are also being strengthened to
diagnose and treat patients with chemotherapy. Radiotherapy, however, will be
available in 27 existing regional cancer centres, all of which are being
upgraded.
The ministry has also prepared a Rs 15,855-crore
plan for its early diagnosis and treatment over the next five years - a 500%
increase over the 11th Plan. By 2017, India plans to open two national cancer
institutes and 20 state cancer institutes that will support 100 TCCs.
Plans are afoot to increase district cancer
centers from 100 to 640 by end-2017, add 500 additional cancer specialists
trained in their management and train 640 district cancer teams.
"We have been warned by WHO that India is the
next hub for cancer. The 38 new cancer centres will be linked to district
hospitals. Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM) are being trained to identify warning
signs of cancer," Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
Union health ministry recently relaxed norms to
ramp up the strength of oncologists. The ministry has allowed every professor
of three disciplines - radiotherapy, medical oncology and surgical oncology -
to teach three students as against the existing norm of two.
Over the next five years, the strength of cancer
registry institutes - that record cancer cases - will be raised from existing
27 to 122.
Cancer is curable if detected early. The results
of treatment in stage I and II (early stage) are about 80%. In late stage
diseases (stage III and IV), however, the results are less than 20%.
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