Gall bladder, uterine cancer on the rise

 Cervical cancer in women is decreasing, while uterine and gall bladder cancer is on the rise at least in major metropolitan cities, suggests India’s latest cancer statistics without providing any explanation for the observed trend.

According to the population based cancer registry prepared by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), actual reported cases of cervical cancer declined between 2009 and 2011 in Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. Decline was seen in Assam, Mizoram and Thiruvananthapuram, too. Uterine cancers,  are on the rise in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai in the same period. In Bangalore, the number of cases increased by 7.4 per cent between 1986 and 2009, whereas the rise was 7.3 per cent between 2005 and 2010 in Mumbai, compared to 1.7 per cent increase between 1982 and 2004.

“There is a declining trend in cervical cancer and increase in uterus and gall bladder cancer cases in some cities. We don’t know the reason yet,” said V M Katoch, director-general of ICMR. In the country, breast and cervical cancer remain the two most common cancers in women.

Among men, cancer of the lung, mouth, oesophagus and stomach are common. Cancers of the tongue, rectum, liver, lung, prostate, brain, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a type of leukaemia have shown statistically significant increase.Cancer of the gall bladder in women is increasing in Chennai, Bangalore and Bhopal. In Delhi, the hike is seen in men, whereas in Mumbai, it went up both in men and women. Lung cancer among women, too, had increased in the four metros.

The new statistics come from collation of data from 28 population based cancer registries, covering 7.45 per cent of the population. As many as 250 centres contributed to the database, which was approved by ICMR’s top science advisory panel last week.
This is the third report from the ICMR registry with the addition of new sites.