Experts warn of rising cancer burden in Kerala at Cancer Conclave

A panel of leading medical and public health experts sounded a serious alarm over the rapidly increasing cancer burden in Kerala, attributing the rise to an ageing population and significant lifestyle changes.

The grim prognosis was delivered during the discussion on 'State of Kerala: Cancer Landscape' at the Kerala Cancer Conclave held at the Hyatt Regency on Saturday. During the session, experts emphasised the critical need for robust prevention programs and public health policy reforms.

The session, moderated by Dr Prashant Mathur of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), began with an overview of the situation. Dr Mathur highlighted that ICMR's cancer registry network showed a particularly high incidence of certain cancers in Kerala. "Lung, prostate, and liver cancers in men, and breast and thyroid cancers in women are highly prevalent," he said. He added that liver cancer had seen a sustained rapid rise for both genders in the last two decades.

Dr Mathur said that projections indicated a further surge in cases by 2030, with Kerala already leading in crude mortality rates (number of deaths per 1000 in a year).

The globally renowned oncologist, Dr S H Advani, said there was a "tremendous increase in breast cancer in Kerala" compared to other states. He also observed striking geographical differences in cancer prevalence. "Thyroid cancer patients are very high in Kerala compared to Mumbai, where the numbers are very small, while mouth cancer is rampant in Maharashtra but not so much in Kerala," he said.

Dr Narayanankutty Warrier, the medical director of MVR Cancer Centre and Research Institute, Kozhikode, echoed these concerns, stating that lung cancer remains the leading cancer in males. He pointed to a combination of factors contributing to the rise in breast cancer, including "change in lifestyle, restricted care and employment reasons".

Dr Warrier suggested that the rise in oral cavity cancer was linked to migrant labourers. It is the result of, in his words, "encouraging outside labourers in Kerala". He said 80 per cent of these were intra-carcinomas, which are cancers located within a specific tissue or organ and have not spread beyond that site. In short, early-stage cancers. Dr Warrier also noted a surge in uterine cancer.

Dr Aleyamma Mathew of Regional Cancer Centre offered a nuanced view, explaining that the high cancer burden is partly due to Kerala's elderly population, which accounts for 12 per cent of the total, which was higher than in other states. She underscored the importance of age-standardised rates for accurate comparison.

Dr Mathew identified the top cancers in men as "lung, prostate, and colon", and in women as "breast and thyroid". She emphasised that "most cancers are on the rise" and stressed the importance of early detection, noting, "If cancer is detected in the early stage, it is curable today".

She expressed concern that "even educated people delay the symptoms", and highlighted the alarming fact that "30% of the women's population in Kerala has breast cancer," while also pointing out increasing treatment dropout rates.

Community medicine expert Dr V Ramankutty provided critical insights on public health policy. He too said that Kerala's elderly population contributed to the high prevalence of diseases, with cancer now ranking second to cardiovascular diseases.

He highlighted a major problem of misinformation, where people believe "toxins in vegetables are a factor" while neglecting serious risk factors like "alcohol and lack of exercise". He lamented the lack of preventive measures and an integrated cancer care system, observing that "people still try various kinds of scientific and non-scientific methods for cure."

The panel concluded that nearly 60-70% of cancers are preventable and urged the public to focus on lifestyle modifications, early detection, and completing treatment.