United Nations: India had an estimated 1.16 million new cancer cases in 2018, according to a report released by the World Health Organization, which also says that one in 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime and one in 15 will die of the disease.
Ahead of the World Cancer Day, WHO released two reports: one aimed at setting the global agenda on the disease; the other focused on research and prevention.
The report tabulated the estimated cancer burden in India in 2018: there were about 1.16 million new cases, 784,800 deaths, and 2.26 million 5-year prevalent cases in a population of 1.35 billion.
The further report said that "one in 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in 15 Indians will die of it." In India, the six most common types were breast cancer (162,500 cases), oral (120,000 cases), cervical (97,000 cases), lung (68,000 cases), stomach (57,000 cases), and colorectal (57,000). Together, these account for 49 per cent of all new cases.
The pattern in India was dominated by a high burden of tobacco-related head and neck cancers, particularly oral, in men and cervical cancer in women; both these types are associated with lower socioeconomic status, the report said.
Certain other types, such as breast and colorectal, associated with overweight and obesity, lower levels of physical activity, and sedentary lifestyles, are increasing and are associated with higher socioeconomic status.
