The Northeast has always recorded a relatively high number of cancer cases but the numbers are constantly still growing says a report from the latest cancer data. The data clearly states that the highest number of men who have cancer are from Mizoram while the maximum number of women that have cancer are from Papumpare, Arunachal Pradesh.
The high number of cases is attributed to the wide use of tobacco in the region. Aizawl has ten times more incidences than Chennai. Lung cancer is very common amongst men whereas women record higher incidences of breast cancer compared to other types of cancer.
The Northeast region boasts of smoking meats such as pork which is consumed in many of the states. Mizoram has a huge number of consumers of smoked meats. Smoked meats are associated with an increased risk for certain cancers due to the presence of cancer-causing substances — carcinogens. This could also be a big reason as to the number of cases apart from the usual smoking and chewing of tobacco. Use of tobacco accounts for about 30% of all cancers in men and women.
The data was released by the Indian Council of Medical Research, collected by Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) programme.
source:northeasttoday