A recent survey by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed that bread – one of our staple food products – is probably laced with toxic chemicals such as potassium bromate/ iodate residues. Potassium Bromate was classified as possibly carcinogenic in 1990 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The CSE survey sent several shockwaves among the citizenry, with the Health Ministry ordering a probe into the incident. However, with or without our daily bread, cancer is a very real problem in India with an estimated 2.5 million people living with the disease and its incidence is rising, as a recently-released report, titled “Three-year report of Population Based Cancer Registries in India 2012-14” by the National Cancer Registry Program (NCRP), shows. The coverage by this report is less than 10% of the population of India. However, the NCRP mentions that it reflects the cancer profile of the country fairly well owing to representation of registries from different parts of the country.

The NCRP started collecting cancer incidence data in 1982 by establishing three PBCRs at Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai and three HBCRs at Chandigarh, Dibrugarh and Thiruvananthapuram, which have gradually expanded over the years. Now there are 27 PBCRs, with a gradual rise in number of cancer cases being reported.

Three new PBCRs have been added this year – Pasighat, Naharlagun and Patiala.

The NCRP collects cancer data in two ways.

Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR):

Population based cancer registries record all the new cancer cases occurring in a defined population (generally a geographic area), with epidemiological and public health aspects in mind.

Hospital Based Cancer Registry:

The hospital based cancer registries record information on cancer patients attending a particular hospital, with focus on clinical care and hospital administration.

In areas with no population based cancer registry, the information from hospital-based cancer registries or from special patient series (as pathological record) help in assessing the public health requirements, and the impact of control measures.

Delhi records maximum cancer incidences

Among the 27 PBCRs, with 19746 cases, Delhi recorded the maximum number of cancer incidences. Delhi was followed by Thiruvananthapuram (15,640) and Mumbai (13,357). In terms of mortality rates, Mumbai topped the list in case of males with 69.6 per cent mortality, while in case of females, Barshi, a town in Maharashtra, recorded 66.3 per cent mortality.

Earlier this month, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority slashed the prices of 54 drugs by around 55 per cent, which are used to treat cancer, diabetes and heart diseases. For instance Trastuzumab, a life-saving drug used to treat breast cancer saw its price coming down to Rs 55,800 (£580), which is 25% lower from the original pricing.
The move is aimed at bringing down prices of commonly used drugs for critical diseases by expanding span of price regulation to cover new drugs, NPPA Chairman Bhupinder Singh told The Times of India.
Microscopic method most common form of diagnosis

As much as 85.3 per cent of males and 86.9 per cent of females had their diagnosis done through microscopic methods. Recently, a medical startup, CORE Diagnostics entered into a new partnership with leading US-based molecular diagnostics company Paradigm to bring to India the latter’s advanced cancer profiling service, PCDx, which helps in detailed personalizing of each cancer patient’s course of treatment.

Meghalaya tops tobacco-related cancer cases

With 69.5 per cent of cancer cases for men and 45 per cent of women’s cancer cases being tobacco related, East Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya reported the highest tobacco-related cancers (TRC) amongst all PBCRs.
In term of absolute cases, however, Delhi topped the TRC incidences in both categories.

Based on complex statistical analysis of available data, the NRCP also projected 13.9 lakh cases of cancers at the end of 2015 – supposed to go up to 17.3 lakh cases by 2020 – of which 29 per cent cases were tobacco-related, followed by gastro-intestinal tract (19 per cent) and breast (10 per cent).
Among females, cancer of the breast is the leading site of cancer in 19 registry registries. The data also projects 0.13 million breast cancer cases at the end of 2015.

Tomorrow:Delhi tops childhood cancers in India