Breast cancer burden looms large over Telangana in coming decade

About 35.5 percent of cancers among women in Telangana State will be breast cancers closely followed by 8.7 percent of cervical cancers even in year 2037, research papers have indicated.

Hyderabad: The Telangana State has acquired the dubious distinction of having higher burden of breast cancers among women in the country. In the coming one-decade, breast cancer will remain the number one cancer among women of Telangana, a clear challenge for the State government, which has to act quickly to augment treatment facilities, cancer literacy, human resources and infrastructure.

About 35.5 percent of cancers among women in Telangana State will be breast cancers closely followed by 8.7 percent of cervical cancers even in year 2037, research papers have indicated.

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Development and breast cancers:

It may sound counter-intuitive but there are global studies indicating that developed countries have a higher incidence of breast cancer among women. When this is applied to India, most of the developed States like Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, have a much higher burden of breast cancer than states in north-eastern parts of the country.

A study on projected cancer burden in Telangana, taken-up by the noted Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Hyderabad, has indicated an anticipated steady rise in breast cancer cases.

“We anticipated a steady increase in number of new cancer cases and resultant workload for the State of Telangana from year 2022 to 2037. This may further be accompanied with limited access or utilization of cancer care system,” the IIPH study, published in PLOS ONE (July, 2023), said.

Why is breast cancer rising in Telangana?

Based on multiple published studies, factors driving breast cancer cases in TS are relatively low literacy rate among females, high tobacco use, and alcohol consumption among women and higher life expectancy than the national average. In addition, one in three women was found to be overweight or obese, which is an important risk factor for breast cancer. This was attributed to changing lifestyles, sedentary behaviour, unhealthy eating, and inadequate physical activity.

Based on Cancer Profile of TS by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) through cancer registries from NIMS, MNJ Cancer Hospital and Indo-American Cancer Institute, the crude rate (cancer incidence for 1,00,000 population) of all kinds of cancers is 109.8 among women while the crude incidence rate of breast cancers is close to 50, which will rise to 63.79 by 2037.