World No Tobacco Day Today: Cancer In Every Chew

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh has recorded a high incidence of tobacco-related cancers (TRCs) with mouth cancer accounting for 31% of cases in males and 29% in females.

Tongue cancer accounts for 18% of cases among males and 21% among females, according to an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report.

Bhopal ranks among the highest in India for both oral and tongue cancers, largely due to widespread tobacco and gutka consumption.

The theme for World No Tobacco Day this year is Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction.

Dr Atul Shrivastava, Research Officer and Principal Investigator of the State Cancer Registry Programme, Madhya Pradesh, said that the pervasive use of smokeless tobacco products such as gutka, exceeding 60% in rural households and 50% in urban households, was driving disproportionately high rates of oral, tongue and oesophageal cancers in the state.

"According to ICMR data, cancers of the mouth, tongue and lungs account for approximately six out of every 10 cancer cases in the state.

Population-Based Cancer Registries (PBCRs) in Madhya Pradesh highlight that more than 50% of all cancer cases in males and a significant proportion in females are directly linked to tobacco use," he said.

Dr Anshul Rai of AIIMS Bhopal said, "Around 50 of the 200 patients attending the OPD are at the stage of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMD), which are abnormal tissue changes in the mouth that carry a risk of developing into oral cancer. Of these 50 patients, 10 are children who consume gutka.

"Tobacco-related cancers are largely attributable to the high consumption of smoking and smokeless tobacco. In Madhya Pradesh, the burden of tobacco-related cancers is among the highest in the country due to the widespread consumption of gutka and smokeless tobacco."