Gadchiroli mouth cancer incidence among the highest in country, over 500 new cases every year: report

Not much information is available on the number of cancer patients in the tribal regions of India and the common cancers in such areas.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Apr 18, 2019 03:53 AM IST

Mouth cancer was the second leading cancer among women after cervical cancer

Gadchiroli, one of the most underdeveloped districts of India that has a population of 11 lakh, has an estimated 550 new cases of cancer every year. The number of new cases of mouth cancers in the district was one of the highest reported in the country, according to results of a new study. Currently, there are very few facilities to diagnose and treat cancers in Gadchiroli.

Not much information is available on the number of cancer patients in the tribal regions of India and the common cancers in such areas. Tracking the number of cancer cases in such areas remains challenging as facilities for diagnosis are not easily available. The Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH,) a non-governmental organisation working in Gadchiroli district since 1986, and Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai, have developed a new method to do so through a Population-Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) in Gadchiroli. The results of the PBCR for 2015-16 were released on Wednesday.

Dr Yogesh Kalkonde, co-principal investigator of the study, said 40 per cent of cancer cases in men and 20 per cent in women were mouth cancer cases. Fifty per cent of cancer cases among men and 30 per cent among women were tobacco related.

Mouth cancer was the second leading cancer among women after cervical cancer, Dr Kalkonde, the team lead of Rural Non-communicable Diseases and Tribal Health Programme, SEARCH, told The Indian Express.

Typically, cervix, breast and ovary are the leading cancer sites in women, and mouth cancer should not be the leading cancer among women, he said. The registry has been functional since 2015 and covers 134 villages. The methods used to collect cancer data include annual house-to-house survey to screen for cancer cases, collecting information on cancer cases through selected hospital sources in Gadchiroli district and collecting information on all deaths in the registry area through the mortality surveillance system of SEARCH, which ascertains causes of death.

Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, deputy director of TMC, attributed the high incidence of oral cancer to the traditional use of chewing tobacco with supari (kharra, mawa). The impact is compounded with high incidence of alcohol use.

In a statement issued later, Dr Abhay Bang, director of SEARCH, stated that tobacco has emerged as a key public health problem in Gadchiroli and SEARCH, along with the government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts, have developed a programme, Muktipath, to reduce tobacco use in Gadchiroli district. Dr Rajendra Badwe, director of TMC, also said that the facilities for cancer diagnosis and treatment should be made available in the district to reduce the incidence of cancer cases.

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Dr Rajesh Dikshit, director of the Centre for Cancer Epidemiology at the Tata Memorial Centre, highlighted that this new method of cancer registration could be useful in other under-resourced settings in India as well as other developing countries. Along with Kalkonde and Dikshit, Mahesh Deshmukh and others were instrumental in setting up this cancer registry.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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