THRISSUR: The incidence of tobacco-induced cancers, including oral and pharyngeal cancer, cancers of the oesophagus, larynx, lung and urinary bladder, is rising alarmingly in the state, growing at a rate of over 145 per cent in the past three decades, according to the records of the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram.The records state that in 1982 there were 1,283 tobacco-induced cancer patients (972 male and 311 female) in Kerala. In 2009, the figure reached 3,146 patients (2,417 male and 729 female), up by 145 per cent. The overall number of cancer patients, including all types stood at 2,967 (1,567 male and 1,440 female) in 1982, while it reached 11,287 in 2009 (5,730 males and 5,557 females), up by 280.46 per cent. The records also note that in 2009, 27.87 per cent of all cancer patients in Kerala were tobacco users.The records also indicate that use of tobacco products is rising in the state. There has been a 248.6 per cent rise in the number of male tobacco users over the period, while over a jump of 234 per cent has been witnessed in the number of woman tobacco users.On the bright side, the number of deaths reported at the RCC in 2006 was 585, while it declined to 484 in 2010, thanks to innovations in treatment methods. Interestingly, persons belonging to the age group of 55-59 are most prone to tobacco-related cancers, followed by 60-64, 50-54 and 70-74 age groups.
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