Cancer mortality extremely high among males in Kerala compared to national average: Economic review data

The report said cancer is a major non-communicable disease (NCD) in Kerala and cancer mortality is extremely high among males in the state compared to national average.

The data showed that Malabar Cancer Centre (MCC) in Kannur has reported 7,795 new cases in 2022-23, and a relatively new Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) had 1,606 new cases in that year.

The average number of new cases detected in a year at MCC has been 7,142 and the same at CCRC has been 1,351 in recent years. RCC, MCC, and CCRC are in the government sector in the state.

On World Cancer Day (February 4), Kerala Health Minister Veena George said her department would launch preventive oncology clinics in all districts in the state. Initially, these clinics would come up at gynaecology departments at hospitals. The minister said the state has implemented a cancer control strategy for early detection of cancers.

Last year, the state had initiated population-based screening of non-communicable diseases.

Quoting the survey, the minister said the health department had screened 1.53 crore people above the age of 30. “We have so far referred 9 lakh people for cancer screening. Of them, 41,000 people were referred for detecting oral cancer, 79,000 for breast cancer, and 96,000 for cervical cancer,’’ she said.

The minister said according to the population-based cancer registry at RCC and MCC, lung cancer is more prevalent among men and breast cancer among women. In Northern districts, colon cancer cases are high compared to southern districts.

The economic review said the high prevalence of NCD in Kerala is attributed to drastic lifestyle changes, heavy dependency on alcohol and tobacco, affinity for white-collar jobs, unhealthy eating patterns, low priority for physical exertion, high levels of stress in all strata of population.

Even though the state has witnessed a steep decrease in the use of tobacco in the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2016 report with the prevalence dipping to 12 per cent from 21 per cent, the increasing affinity to alcohol is affecting the health sector with prevalence rate as high as 44 per cent and age of initiation coming down every year.

The unhealthy dietary practices and lack of physical exercise in all sections of the population irrespective of the age and economic status have contributed to the rise in lifestyle diseases pointing out that 52 per cent of the total death in the productive age group between 30 and 70 was because of one or the other cause of NCD, said the economic review.