62% of mouth cancer cases in India due to alcohol and tobacco: Study
NEW DELHI: Six out of 10 people in India are suffering from mouth cancer due to frequent consumption of alcohol, along with chewing of smokeless tobacco products such as gutkha, khaini, paan, said a first large-scale study published on Wednesday. Authored by a team of researchers from the Center for Cancer Epidemiology, and Homi Bhabha National Institute, in Maharashtra, the study found that as little as under 2 gram a day of beer was associated with a heightened risk of buccal mucosa cancer (BMC), while 9 gram a day of alcohol - equivalent to around one standard drink - was associated with an approximately 50 per cent increased risk of mouth cancer. When combined with chewing tobacco, it is likely accounted for 62% of all such cases in the country. The findings, published in the journal BMJ Global Health, suggest that more than one in 10 cases (nearly 11.5%) of all buccal mucosa cancers in India are attributable to alcohol, rising to 14% in some of the states with a high prevalence of the disease, such as Meghalaya, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh. States like Arunachal Pradesh have reported the highest prevalence of alcohol consumption (26%), while states like Gujarat have reported very low alcohol consumption (4%). As of 2022, there were an estimated 4,00,000 new oral cancer cases globally. It is the second most common cancer in India, with an estimated 1,43,759 new cases and 79,979 deaths occurring each year in India alone. BMC is the predominant form of oral cancer in the Indian sub-continent, and despite its poor survival rate - 43% net fiveyear survival. This study shows that alcohol, even in low quantities, increases the risk for BMC. Prevention of consumption of tobacco and alcohol together could substantially reduce the incidence of BMC, the study said. For the study, researchers investigated the impact of alcohol consumption, including 11 internationally-recognised liquors and 30 locally-brewed liquor (LBLs) from different regions of India - Tharra, Desi, Mahua, Apong on the risk of BMC among Indian men. The researchers compared 1,803 people with confirmed buccal mucosa cancer and 1,903 randomly selected people free of the disease (controls) from five different study centres between 2010 and 2021. Most of the participants were aged between 35 and 54; nearly half (around 46%) of cases were among 25-to 45-year-olds. It found that compared with those who didnt drink alcohol, the risk was 68% higher for those who did, rising to 72% for those favouring internationally recognised alcohol, and to 87% for those opting for local drinks.
10 C
