According to government statistics, lung cancer has decreased by 5 percent in India in the last two years, while the previous year, lung cancer had increased by 34,000.
The states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Bihar have reported the highest number of cases in the country. Moving south, the cancer caseload was highest in the state of Tamil Nadu, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.
The government in Parliament (citing the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Cancer Registry Program (ICMR-NCRP)) said, “Lung cancer cases increased from 98,278 in 2020 to 1,03,371 in 2022, registering a bounce of 5.2 percent.”
In 2022, the total number of cancer cases (including both male and female) reported in Uttar Pradesh was 2,10,958. In the same year, Maharashtra reported 1,21,717 cases, followed by West Bengal (1,13,851) and Bihar (1,09274).
In the south, Tamil Nadu topped the ranking reporting 93,536 cases, followed by Karnataka with 90,349, Andhra Pradesh with 73,536, and Kerala with 59,143.
Since 2019, states have seen an increase in cancer cases.
Tamil Nadu registered 86,596 cases in 2019, 88,866 in 2020 and 91,184 in 2021. Karnataka reported 83,824 cases in 2019. In 2020 the number had reached 85,968, while in 2020 the number was 88,126.
In 2019, 68,883 cancer cases were recorded in Andhra Pradesh, in 2020 it rose to 70,424, and in 2021 it touched 71,970. A total of 56148 cases were registered in Kerala in 2019, which increased to 57,155 in 2020 and 58,139 in 2021.
Among all the four southern states, Telangana has reported the lowest number of cases. In 2019, the state registered 46,464 cases. In 2020 it was recorded 47,620, and in 2021, the instances touched 48,775.
No other state has seen a decline in cases except the Union Territory of Lakshadweep where 28 cases were reported in two consecutive years – up one from 2021 and 22 in 2020.
Expressing concern over the increasing number of lung cancer patients in the country, the government has said that the main risk factors for cancer are consumption of alcohol, tobacco and tobacco products, lack of physical activity, improper diet and air pollution.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), one in nine Indians are likely to develop cancer in their lifetime, as the disease is expected to increase by 12.8 percent from 2020 to 2025. It also said that the highest number of cases was reported in the 40s. -64 age group.
Lung cancer was the most common cancer in men, while breast cancer was the top among women in all age groups. “Incidence of cancer in India is on the rise,” ICMR said in its journal, Indian Journal of Medical Research.