ICMR published its study earlier this month, which shows the higher burden of breast cancer in the states of Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Telangana.
As per the ICMR study, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, and Delhi had a higher burden of breast cancer than the eastern and northeastern states. The study also estimated a substantial rise in the disease burden in India by 2025. The study mainly concentrated on the state-level breast cancer burden in India from 2012 to 2016 concerning YLLs (years of life lost), YLDs (years lived with disability), and DALY (disability-adjusted life years) and estimated its burden to 2025.
In 2016, the burden of breast cancer among Indian women was calculated to be at 515.4 DALY (disability-adjusted life years) per 1 lakh women after the age standardization and the state-level burden metrics revealed considerable heterogeneity.
The ICMR study said that Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, and Delhi had a higher burden of breast cancer than states in the eastern and northeastern regions. The forecast for 2025 shows a considerable increase which is arriving at 5.6 million DALYs (estimate of overall disease burden, indicated as the number of years lost due to ill health, disability, or early death.
Compared to their urban counterparts the probability of developing breast cancer in rural women is less. The age-standardized prevalence rates are greater in urban and metro areas and among Indian cities Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Delhi are top in the list. As per the projections, in 2025, the burden of female breast cancer in India is anticipated to be 5.6 million DALYs and the premature deaths due to breast cancer (YLLs) would supply 5.3 million DALYs to the total burden with the remaining due to disability (YLDs).
The ICMR study scrutinized the state-wide burden of female breast cancer in India in 2016. It used data from 28 population-based cancer registries around the country which are registered under the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP). As per the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) study, the age-standardized breast cancer incidence among women in South Central Asia was 25.9 per one lakh women in 2018. Based on the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) study, in 2016, the age-standardized breast cancer rate in South Central Asia was 21.6 per lakh women. Using the extensive range of data sources these studies calculated the national and subnational burdens.
The researcher said that in their study they only used data from population-based cancer registries under NCRP, which are mostly in urban areas. Rural women are less likely to develop breast cancer than their urban counterparts and age-standardized incidence rates are higher in urban and metro areas, with Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Delhi as the leading Indian cities.
Factors such as sedentary lifestyle, higher obesity rates, delayed age of marriage and childbirth, and minimal breastfeeding in urban areas are ascribed to a greater burden of breast cancer in urban areas. The researcher also said that this is supported by their study’s findings which indicate that urban registries such as Chennai, Bengaluru, and Delhi had higher incidence than rural registries. The cancer burden is notably shaped by socio-economic factors, which affect access to health care, preventive measures, and treatment outcomes.
The study also underscores, individuals with lower socio-economic status experience hurdles to timely and quality health care, leading to retard cancer detection, constituted by finite resources and health literacy. The occupational vulnerability and financial pressure intensify cancer risks and affect treatment accessibility, at the same time the problem is made difficult by geographical and psychological disparities.
The study stated that the research priorities may also accidentally fail to notice cancers prevailing in lower socio-economic groups. Identifying and notifying these discrepancies is important for equitable cancer control, ensuring universal access to prevention, early detection, and treatment.
The study said in India, the relation between cancer prevalence and socio-economic inequalities is noticeable, underlining the requirement to re-assess resource allotment and improve access to healthcare and social support systems. The study emphasizes the increasing rate of breast cancer in India and underlines the immediate need for extensive awareness campaigns and screening programs.
The study said a notable issue is that a major part of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the country present with advanced stages or metastatic disease, suggesting a lack of awareness. It also said India faces noticeably low rates of breast cancer screening, encompassing self-breast examination and mammography.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/ Lavanya Beeraboina/MSM)