Mizoram has recorded the highest cancer cases not only in the Northeast but across entire country.
This was disclosed on observation of World Cancer Day on Monday.
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Dr Eric Zomawia, state nodal officer for non-communicable diseases (NCD), disclosed on Monday that the State has recorded 4,656 new cases in three years, between 2012 and 2014.
Zomawia while quoting the Population Based Cancer Registries (PBCR) report released in 2016, said at least 2,176 people including 830 females have died due to cancer between 2012 and 2014 in the State and that the average deaths per year is 711, according to reports.
There are 4,656 new cases of cancer with number of females at 2,089 and that of male at 2,567, he was quoted as saying.
He also said that on the average, there were 1,552 new cancer cases each year in Mizoram.
Zomawia was also quoted as saying that Mizoram, not only holds the top position in cancer across all sites for male and female, but also topped in tongue cancer (male), lung cancer (male & female), stomach cancer (male & female), hypopharynx cancer (male), and gland cancer (male).
The state also topped the list in cervix cancer in women in the country.
According to the officer, stomach cancer with 710 cases was the commonest in Mizoram between 2012 and 2014 followed by lung cancer at 688 cases.
He further emphasized that extensive consumption of tobacco (which contributed 30 per cent), coupled with unhealthy food items such as smoked meat and fermented soyabean and pork are the main factors for high cancer rate in Mizoram.