Cancer No 2 killer after heart disease

NEW DELHI: Cancer is the second biggest killer in India after heart disease, with stomach, liver and oesophageal cancers accounting for the maximum number of deaths in the country, a new global study has found.

According to the Global Burden of Cancer report published in leading medical journal JAMA Oncology, India had more than 1.17 million new cancer cases and 675,000 deaths in 2013, up from 624,000 cancer cases and 426,000 deaths in 1990.

“Most cancers are diagnosed in advanced stages (stages 3 and 4) in India, which means people seek treatment late and are more likely to die,” said study co-author said Dr Lalit Dandona, professor, Public Health Foundation of India and the University of Washington, Seattle.

“Symptoms of cancers such as that of the stomach — India’s number one killer — are general- ised, so diagnosis is often missed.”

The report — based on an analysis of 28 cancer groups across 188 countries — also found that worldwide close to 15 million people were diagnosed with cancer, with 8.2 million deaths in 2013.

India has the highest number of mouth cancer cases, with new cases doubling between 1990 and 2013 to 84,700 from 34,000.

During this period, breast cancer cases went up almost threefold to 151,304 from 56,786, which led to breast cancer replacing cervical cancer as the top cancer for women.

Lung, stomach, and liver cancer were the three leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide for both sexes during in this period, the study found.

Of all the cancers studied, new cases dropped among a few cancers between 1990 and 2013 such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma. While prevention and treatment have lowered deaths from a few cancers — such as childhood leukaemia — new cases of almost all types of cancers are rising globally regardless of income.

“The etiology of most cancers is complex and we still don’t know enough, but it’s a crime not to bring down cases and deaths of preventable cancers such as cancers of the mouth and lungs caused by tobacco use, and that of the liver, which is linked with alcohol abuse and vaccine-preventive hepatitis infections,” says Dr Dandona. Indian military, having won deals worth over $10 billion during the last six years. US defence secretary Ashton Carter is expected to arrive in India on June 2 on a visit aimed at strengthening military ties.

India and the US are expected to ink an amendment to the 2005 India-US Defence Framework Agreement, renewing the pact to deepen cooperation in several security-related areas.

The agreement, first signed in 2005, led to some major weapon sales to India and strengthened the overall strategic partnership.