Nagaland has 2nd highest nasopharynx cancer in world: Report

With North East already a cancer hotspot in the country, Nagaland now ranks 11th in cancer incidence in India and second highest in the world for nasopharynx cancer, which was amongst the top five leading causes of death in the State.
At 14.3%, the proportion of nasopharyngeal cancer was highest, followed by stomach cancer (12.6%) and cancer in the oesophagus (10.6%) among men.
According to a report on Monitoring Survey of Cancer Risk Factors and Health System Response in North East Region released at the conference hall of Civil Secretariat here on Monday, cervix uteri cancer was the leading cancer (16.4%), followed by breast cancer (12.2%) and stomach (11.3%) in women. The report stated that over a third (39.3%) of cancers in male and 11.5% in female were tobacco use related, of which oesophagus (10.6%) and lung (3.7%) were leading in male and female.
The report recommended creating awareness on availability of health insurance schemes to the public, NGOs and SHGs through healthcare workers, TV, radio, newspapers and social media, providing free chemotherapy drugs to cancer patients since 25% of poor cancer patients could not afford drugs and so did not take treatment at all and making cancer screening facilities available in all CHCs and district hospitals.
Releasing the report, Health & Family Welfare minister S Pangnyu Phom acknowledged the efforts of Dr Vinotsole Khamo and her team for coming up with the detailed report on cancer despite the challenges, especially during the peak of Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the study would greatly enhance understanding and limitations in the fight against cancer, which had long plagued the State’s people. It was a call for real, purposeful and transformative action that would improve care and lives of patients and their families traumatised by the burden of cancer, he added.
Phom remarked that it was imperative to improve healthcare service with focus on cancer and non-communicable diseases where screening and early detection facilities should become a priority, which would directly improve the society’s health status.
He urged all stakeholders and departments concerned to seriously consider the recommendations made in the report as these provided the key in taking the lead in the fight against cancer and non-communicable diseases.
‘Make cancer notified disease’
In his address, Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research director Dr Prashant Mathur said 50% of cancer was avoidable and preventable by adapting improved lifestyle, habits and diet.
He urged the State government to make cancer a notifiable disease like the other 15 States, assuring that ICMR was committed to strengthening the research required for cancer and would continue to work for providing solutions with the decisionmakers to mitigate cancer in the earliest and shortest possible time.
As cancer was generally diagnosed at later stages, he calling for ramping up screening programme for early detection, which would improve the outcome and chances of survival.
Mathur mentioned that as the report showed inadequate counselling services, there was a need to develop State cancer strategy to address every component required to control the disease, adding that unless a strategy was put in place, tackling cancer would be a difficult task.
In her presentation, principal investigator Dr Vinotsole Khamo explained that the primary objective of the survey was to generate key cancer and other non-communicable disease (NCD)-related risk factors and estimate health system response in the State.
She said another objective was to set a baseline to monitor and track trends in the prevalence of risk factors associated with cancer and other NCDs in Population-based Cancer Registry (PBCR) covered regions of Nagaland.
Khamo mentioned that the survey was conducted between November 2019 and March 2021 in Kohima and Dimapur districts.
Some of the key findings for the causes of cancer were use of tobacco (smoked and smokeless), use of alcohol, diet, blood sugar, raised blood sugar, overweight/obesity, solid fuel use, etc. The recommendations included increasing general health awareness and leading healthy lifestyle like increased physical activity, intake of healthy food, regular check-up of blood pressure and sugar and availing existing health facilities for regular check-up and screening. Also, the report recommended public awareness, education, counselling and rehabilitation facilities.
She exuded confidence that the findings from the survey would enable policymakers and stakeholders to make the best decision to address cancer and in NCD prevention and control in Nagaland.
According to the findings, 57% of the cancer patients sought healthcare outside the State, 75% availed treatment at private health facilities, while 60.7% cancer patients underwent treatment through self-financing and 10.7% were covered by health insurance.
In her welcome address, H&FW secretary Asangla Imti said cancer being one of the most dreaded diseases, the study aimed to find out the cancer profile in the State and identify the cause.
She mentioned that the findings from the survey would form a baseline to improve and augment policies and programmes regarding prevention and treatment of cancer.
Padma Shri awardee, social activist and cancer survivor Neidonuo Angami shared her experience as a cancer patient on the occasion.
H&FW principal director Dr Vikato Kinimi proposed vote of thanks at the event.